American Elder Advocates is the vision of Donna Brumbaugh. A Certified Occupational Therapist, Donna devoted much of her career to helping disabled children. Her work, however, eventually brought her into contact with the elder community. What she witnessed inside of nursing homes caused her to recognize that her calling was greater than just working with physical challenges. She saw that the elder system needed therapy.

Donna became the Lead Long Term Care Ombudsman for the Larimer County, Colorado, Office on Aging. In that position, she became an active and persuasive advocate interceding in the behalf of elders with families, facilities, and even interacting with local law enforcement agencies.

As an ombudsman, she regularly observed elder abuse. She saw the frustration families faced in obtaining services. She learned to navigate the intricacies of an oftentimes confusing state and federal bureaucracy. She was also thrust into the middle of disputes within families and between families and elder care providers and facilities.

With each passing day, she realized that more needed to be done, not just for the elder population in her community, but throughout the nation. Elder neglect is not limited to a small corner of northeastern Colorado... it is endemic throughout the United States. She knew that, as a society, we are better than that. She determined that it was time to start demonstrating it.