The elder generation in America sacrificed friends, family and loved ones to wars of freedom. Their brilliance and ingenuity gave us what is commonly referred to as "The Information Age". Before our elders were born, there were no televisions or computers. Nuclear energy was an untapped resource. There was no polio vaccine. The heart defibrillator wasn't even an idea and artificial hearts were science fiction. Before our elders, man had never traveled in space or even experienced travel in a jet propelled airplane.

Our elders spearheaded an era of accomplishment unrivaled in the history of mankind. Yet, our culture fails to applaud and venerate them. Instead, we push them into seclusion to die, sometimes alone. Our society regularly cuts government funding to Medicaid and other senior services under the Older Americans Act when more resources are required to sustain the very dignity these ladies and gentlemen have earned.

Few of today's business or political leaders would have achieved prominence if they had not been educated in their youth by teachers who are elders today. Shamefully, that contribution is virtually ignored.

AEA simply encourages America to embrace its elders.

The purpose of AEA is to aggressively intercede on behalf of elders to protect their rights. We mediate disputes within families and hold residential and in-home caregivers accountable for providing adequate services in a setting of concern and compassion.

We help individual elders navigate the system so they can access the services that are available to them.

And we serve as a reminder to the community that our elders have earned the respect that portions of our society and much of the governmental infrastructure has so cavalierly denied them.