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The majority of American senior citizens, age 65 or older, have witnessed at least 13 American presidents and 16 vice presidents, a minimum of five wars or military actions involving the U.S. armed forces, the advent of manned space flight and a moonwalk, and the creation of Medicare. Depending on their ages, they also may have witnessed women being guaranteed the right to vote and the creation of Social Security. In the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were more than 39 million older Americans as of 2009, and the number is expected to grow substantially.

That's a whole lot of people and a whole lot of experience and opinions. On the political front, older Americans can be a force to be reckoned with if they choose to remain politically active and vocal about issues affecting them. Among the issues of concern to our older population are Social Security, retirement funds, Medicare, housing, prescription drug prices and fraud and crimes perpetrated against older Americans. Depending on demographics, school and property taxes, transportation, libraries and shopping centers also may weigh heavily on this generation's mindset. Yet according to recent Harris and Gallup polls, the issues of Social Security and Medicare, considered the most crucial to seniors, are not high on the priority list for most Americans.

When asked what she remembers about the political arena as a young girl, 93-year-old Barbara Cooper said: "Young people were much more active and noisy about it. The meetings were on the street corners, and there was more push toward one section to the other. The partisan nature was more on the street then, but now it's in the media. Your friends' organizations had meetings, and the organizations you belonged to had a political agenda. People bought into what was propagandized. We weren't so active that we diverged from the norm."

Barbara and her husband, 98-year-old Harry Cooper, have enlisted the aid of the Internet to make their voices heard. A recent video blog message from "The OGs -- L.A.'s oldest bloggers" to the mayor of Los Angeles about saving the local library system received international press coverage. They've used their blog, at http://www.the-ogs.com, to discuss various issues of local importance.

"We feel it's important to vote," Mrs. Cooper says. "I like the little elections better. You can see that you have an effect with your vote." Voting is one of the ways to make your voice heard, she says. "If you are a citizen and you are breathing and happy to be part of today's day, then you should be political."

Senior Quality Lifestyles Corp. is a progressive developer of continuing care retirement communities, or CCRCs. Bill Pemberton -- senior vice president of Forte Public Relations, which represents Senior Quality Lifestyles Corp. -- says, "Rather than allow its senior residents to be -- or even feel like -- the passive receivers of the changing political winds, SQLC has encouraged the development of a resident council at each property. As the name implies, these councils are made up of senior residents who actively dialogue with -- and represent the interests of -- the entire senior resident population at each community."

A late-April symposium sponsored by Greystone Communities Inc., a marketing company that specializes in CCRCs, was "designed especially to inform -- and hear back from -- the resident council chairpersons from communities around the nation. While some topics deal with basic community procedures, others will be topics that have major political underpinnings -- federal health care programs, sustainability and more. The outcomes are generally designed to address residents' concerns about how things can be improved or changed. They are fully heard." Pemberton adds that this "representative government" is channeled to pertinent officeholders.

"Needless to say, the collective voice of so large an organization offers broad and deep insight from seniors in general -- and is a voice that is respected and heard," he says.