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Dr. Ethelle G. Lord - Bio

The Personal Journey of A Dementia Care Leader

Dr. Ethelle G. Lord - A Lifetime of Learning

A 2010 graduate of the University of Phoenix with a DM in Organizational Leadership, Dr. Éthelle G. Lord is the founding president of the International Caregivers Association (ICA). The ICA was founded over two decades ago to train, coach, and consult with dementia providers.

Prior to the ICA, Dr. Lord founded Remembering for You, devoted to supporting dementia care providers and families with educational resources and innovations. More recently, Dr. Lord has developed the Transactional Dementia Intelligence Program (TDI Model), which focused on shifting dementia care from a medical model to a social/wellness model, benefiting families, staff, and facilities. The TDI Model aims to save costs, train staff, and elevate care. Her comprehensive dementia program dramatically improves existing models used worldwide.


After advocating for caregivers for over two decades, Dr. Lord saw a need to expand ICA's mission to directly impact dementia care standards. Her experience caring for her husband gave insights into system gaps. She made it her mission to change perceptions, improve training, and implement the TDI Model as a holistic, compassion-based model. Upon her husband's passing in June 2020, Dr. Lord took time to grieve and reevaluate ICA's direction. This was an opportunity to contemplate innovative solutions to dementia care.

As a visionary advocate, Dr. Lord brings new opportunities benefiting families and organizations. Her positive impact has improved care delivery from medical to wellness models. As an experienced consultant, she provides customized and comprehensive services worldwide.

In addition to being a sought-after speaker, Dr. Lord is an accomplished author. In her book “Alzheimer’s Coaching: Taking A Systems Approach in Creating an Alzheimer’s Friendly Healthcare Workforce,” she shares insights from caring for her husband Major Larry S. Potter, USAF Retired, who had Vascular Dementia (VD).

She also authored “How in the World...and Now What Do I Do?”—an Alzheimer’s primer in several languages (English, French, Spanish, Arabic) outlining 12 major points for coping better with dementia.

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2nd ed. of book
Doctoral Friends
Dr. Lord Author
Dr. Lord with Larry Wheelchair

The TDI Model. The New Global Standard for Dementia Care.