About ICA
Please Take a Few Minutes to Learn Our Story, Vision and Mission
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.
Our Vision & Mission
ICA Vision
The vision of ICA is to support and augment knowledge in the practice of caring for those living with Alzheimer’s, at home or outside the home, for a fee or for free no matter the nationality, language, color, religion, sexual orientation, or creed of the care receiver. The ICA community desires to inform, educate, and provide the best possible set of tools to all care providers to enable the best possible outcome with the care of family members, residents, or patients living with dementia in any environment.
ICA Mission
The mission of the ICA is to elevate the standards of dementia care through education and to provide uniformity of services to all care receivers.
At ICA, we bridge communication gaps through formalized partnerships between patients, caregivers, and coaching teams. We aim to change perceptions, improve training, and spread the 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.
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.
That should start with becoming a member of ICA and enjoying all of the many benefits and cost savings that membership offers. Then, consider becoming 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.
As a company, you can engage with us by requesting a preliminary consultation, designed to give a 360-degree insight into all of the aspects of your current dementia care program. ICA believes that reshaping dementia care means taking a system approach to make sure all of the needed pieces are in place and functioning well.
ICA Leadership Team
Dr. Ethelle G. Lord, ICA Founder and President, Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership
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, which focuses on shifting dementia care from a medical model to a social/wellness model, benefiting families, staff, and facilities. As a visionary advocate, Dr. Lord brings new opportunities to benefit both families and organizations. In addition to being a sought-after speaker, Dr. Lord is an accomplished author. She is author of the landmark book, “Alzheimer’s Coaching: Taking A Systems Approach in Creating an Alzheimer’s Friendly Healthcare Workforce,” She also authored “How in the World...and Now What Do I Do?”—an Alzheimer’s primer now in several languages, worldwide. A bilingual native of Quebec, Canada, Ethelle splits her time between her East Coast (Maine) and West Coast (Palm Springs, CA) offices.
Bill Pemberton, GM & Executive VP of Growth
Bill brings 30-plus years of diverse business, marketing & PR experience to his executive role in charge of overall ICA development and growth. His career spans diverse business development, marketing and PR roles, ranging from Fortune 100 companies like Halliburton and EDS Federal Healthcare to international high-tech start-ups. Bill was one of the first movers in the field of digital marketing and is an early adopter of AI technology. For the past 16 years, he has invested his talents as a growth and communications expert in the senior living and healthcare industries. He is an expert on aging trends, worldwide. As owner of Stratos, ICA's agency of record, Bill brings innovative strategies and the latest, best practices to support ICA's growth and outreach at every level. He shares the ICA dream of bringing a fresh vision for better dementia care to caregivers, residents, and their families, worldwide. Bill offices in the D/FW Metroplex, located in North Texas, USA.
Dr. Jennifer Stelter, Psy.D., DCS, DCSCT, VP of Education
Dr. Jennifer Stelter, also known as The Oil Doctor, Psy.D., is a Clinical Psychologist, national speaker, Johns Hopkins Press author, and Senior Living and Dementia Care Consultant, who specializes in dementia care. Dr. Stelter plays a key element in ICA's dementia education and training. She has 20 years of experience in the healthcare field and over a dozen in the senior living industry. Dr. Stelter is the co-founder and CEO of the Dementia Connection Institute by NeuroEssence, LLC, the innovator and creator of the Dementia Connection Model©, and a Master Trainer for the Dementia Connection Specialist Certified Trainer (DCSCT) Certification Program. Her programs dovetail perfectly with TDI Model principals. Also, she is the author of The Busy Caregiver's Guide to Advanced Alzheimer Disease.
Dr. George Grant, VP of Integrative Medicine
When it comes to the convergence of wellness and scientific innovation, one name stands at the forefront: Prof. Dr. George Grant, Ph.D., affectionately known as The Celebrity Caring Doctor & Celebrity Best Selling coauthor with Les Brown, Brian Tracey, Mark Victor Hanson, Jack Canfield and many others. An icon of health care and a beacon of integrative approaches, Dr. Grant has cemented his role as an eminent authority in the fields of Biofeedback, Integrative Medicine, Nutrition, Toxicology, Stress, and Pain Management. His profound influence stretches across the global wellness landscape, where he is recognized as a steadfast ambassador. Prof. George Grant’s expertise in biofeedback, stress management, anti-aging, and natural pain relief isn’t merely respected, its sought after by those in the highest echelons of health and wellness including collaboration with John’s Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic & Harvard at the International Pain Conference in Chicago, USA in 2015. Prof. Dr. Grant worked for Health Canada, FDA & CDC for 10 years as a Senior Scientist for 10 years and a Scientist for several Pharmaceutical & Neutraceutical Companies worldwide.
Ryan Stoffko, VP of Science & Technology
Ryan Stoffko, USA, is the founder of OPP Neuro SPA, Ohio USA., which provides in-home/in-office Sleep Performance Profiling (SPP), qEEG Brain Mapping and Neurofeedback services. His primary focus is directed towards Peak Performance and Healthy Aging in a manner which reinforces Accident Prevention on a tailored basis. Ryan serves as a Public Relations Manager at The Institute for Human Biology, Vancouver CA, and is also a Director at K-Enterprises, Glasgow & London UK, which is an enterprise, composed of SMEs and other problem solvers focused on solutions for all industries and sectors, while focusing on the UN Sustainability agenda.
Pad, VP of Team Optimization
Pad is an acclaimed author in the field of behavioral psychology, and the creator and chief facilitator of TEAM ME® - a unique, dynamic, and easy-to-learn approach to leadership and team performance improvement. He leads the crucial Team Optimization phase of the TDI Model. Certified as an NLP Trainer and Master Practitioner, with Advanced Diplomas in Psychology and Leadership, he is the Director of Come Alive Success Coaching ltd. A sought-after international speaker; Pad’s personal coaching, workshops, and ground-breaking products have been distributed to over 54 countries. He has appeared on ITV, BBC World Service, and Radio 5 Live as well as quoted in The Guardian, The Independent, and The Telegraph. Pad offices in London, England.
Dr. David Yoder, VP of Holistic Wellness
Dr. David Yoder is a chiropractic physician specializing in getting to the heart of the matter. With dementia care, it's become obvious that many body systems are involved with the condition. David is the ideal person to bring a holistic perspective to every facet of ICA's approach to dementia caregiving. He sees persons with dementia as a whole person, influenced by epigenetics and lifestyle inputs. David also sees everyone as "only a few steps away from achieving your best version of you." By identifying the main obstacles to health; inflammation, gut microbiome dysbiosis, chronic high cortisol, insomnia, low mitochondrial function, and circadian rhythms.
Dr. Andrew Harrison, VP of Inclusivity
Andrew Harrison, MD, PhD is a physician and scientist, who also happens to be a gay man. His role at ICA is to inform and inspire a spirit of inclusivity within our outreach to caregivers. He is also a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence to support difficult care placements. After completing undergraduate research training in physics and genetics he pursued MD-PhD training through the NIH-supported Medical Scientist Training Program at Mayo Clinic. Most recently he has done consulting focused on AI in healthcare such as generative AI and large language models (LLMs). He was employed by the Office for Diversity at Mayo Clinic as Managing Editor of their Diversity in Education Blog for 5 years. Most of his time was spent with Native American populations and his own LGBTQIA+ community as a gay man.
Tim Poore, VP of Recovery Optimization
Tim Poore, a seasoned healthcare executive, has been a transformative force in the industry since 2019 when he took the reins as CEO of ATP Healthcare. In his role, Tim leads a dedicated team that assists patients, families, and hospitals in navigating the complex landscape of healthcare placements for challenging cases. Before helming ATP Healthcare, Tim demonstrated his expertise in the healthcare sector as part of an investment group. There, he played a pivotal role in identifying and optimizing post-acute care properties for purchase, strategically increasing their census post-acquisition. Tim's extensive experience also includes several years in the dynamic fields of home health and hospice. Currently, at the forefront of innovation, Tim has co-founded a company that has developed an AI platform. This groundbreaking technology guides hospitals and post-acute care providers in optimizing patient recovery, showcasing Tim's commitment to advancing healthcare solutions.
Dr. Timur Liwinski, VP of Metabolic Psychiatry
Dr. Liwinski is a physician-scientist based in Basel, Switzerland. With a doctorate in child and adolescent psychiatry, Timur initially pursued a residency in general internal medicine. His academic journey led him to undertake a first postdoctorate at the Institute of Medical Systems Biology within a Medical Scientist Training Program in Hamburg, Germany. Later, he embarked on a second postdoctorate in systems immunology, investigating the gut microbiome's connections with diet, immunity, and the gut-brain axis at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Currently, Timur is completing his second residency in adult psychiatry, focusing on affective disorders and interventional psychiatry. As a principal investigator, he heads a research group specializing in nutritional and metabolic psychiatry. Concurrently, he serves as a lecturer at the University of Basel and the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy in Israel. Timur's multifaceted expertise spans clinical practice, research, and academia, driving advancements in metabolic and mental health.
William Baker, JD, 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.