About

our story

How ICA Came About

The International Caregivers Association (ICA) was founded in 2009 by Dr. Ethelle Lord, who realized there was a major systemic problem in dementia care after dedicating over 20 years as a caregiver for her husband. What started as Dr. Lord’s vision grew into a global coalition of compassionate change agents committed to implementing the groundbreaking Transactional Dementia Intelligence (TDI) Model. This revolutionary new paradigm puts compassion and partnership at the center of care.

After grieving the loss of her husband in June 2020, Dr. Lord was inspired to re-evaluate ICA’s direction. She saw an opportunity to draw from her intimate caregiving journey and create an innovative model that would overhaul the status quo. The TDI Model represents the culmination of Dr. Lord’s professional pedigree and personal insights gained from walking alongside her husband each step of his dementia journey. Her doctorate in Organizational Leadership also informs ICA's systemic, team-based approach.

Understanding Our Vision

Our Mission

We envision a world where dementia patients and families receive specialized, dignified care focused on understanding and preserving personhood. Our mission is to transform standards of care by training staff in the TDI Model’s compassion-centered techniques. We bridge communication gaps through formalized partnerships between patients, caregivers, and coaching teams.

At ICA, we aim to change perceptions, improve training, and spread implementation of the TDI Model. We advocate for the over 55 million people living with dementia globally. Our goal is to fill the gaps in traditional dementia care models with a holistic new framework centered on compassion, partnership and humanity.

Getting Started

How You Can Engage with ICA

We welcome diverse perspectives from professionals, caregivers, and anyone passionate about advancing dementia care. Partner with us to implement TDI Model training and certification at your organization.

Become a Dementia Coach to provide hands-on guidance to caregivers. Or get involved as a donor or advocate to help spread our mission. Your acts of compassion and partnership are vital to creating the dignified, inclusive world we envision.

Dr. Ethelle G. Lord, ICA Founder and President

As our Founder and President, Ethelle is the public voice and face of the ICA. She is a leading global voice for productive change in the field of dementia care. She has pioneered the new breakthrough approach called Transactional Dementia Intelligence and its operational aspect, The TDI Model. A bilingual native of Quebec, Canada, Ethelle splits her time between her East Coast (Maine) and West Coast (Palm Springs, CA) offices.

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Meri Gaumond, Vice President of Dementia Care Programming

Meri is a born educator and public speaker. In her role as Vice President, Meri supports Dr. Lord through directly implementing and governing all ICA service outreach, particularly for ICA's TDI Model. Meri's stellar credentials as a dementia coach and trainer make her an exceptionally effective executive in this role. She also brings a vibrant perspective on technology as part of a next-generation dementia care culture.

Bill Pemberton, Communications and Relationships Counsel

Bill brings 30 plus years of diverse marketing & PR experience to his role in charge of communications and relationship management. His career spans communications roles at Fortune 100 companies to high-tech start-ups. He has invested the last 16 years of his career in the senior living and healthcare industries. He shares the ICA dream of bringing a fresh vision for better dementia care to caregivers, patients and their families, worldwide. Bill offices in Dallas, Texas.

William Baker, Legal Counsel

As legal advisor for ICA, Will brings a vital perspective to maintaining full good faith in every aspect of our client service. Will received his law degree from the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law and spent his first 10 years practicing in Colorado, where he founded a successful firm built on his client-driven approach. In addition to his legal experience, Will holds an MBA and brings these added skills to his business practice. A native of Buffalo, NY, Will now calls New England home.

Tim Poitras, CPA, CGMA. Accounting Advisor

Mr. Poitras, a partner and owner of Chester M. Kearney, attained his BS degree in business administration from the University of Maine and his BS degree in accounting from Husson College. His career with the firm began in 2001 and he received his CPA certificate in 2004. Mr. Poitras is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Maine Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

About ICA