HOULTON, Maine — A Maine author will discuss her new book on dealing with Alzheimer’s during a session at the Cary LIbrary, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016 at 6 p.m.
Dr. Ethelle Lord’s book, “Alzheimer and Dementia Coaching: Taking a Systems Approach in Creating an Alzheimer’s Friendly Healthcare Workforce,” points to the immediate need for a system’s approach in dementia care today — one that includes the family care provider, an Alzheimer’s coach at the hub of the healthcare wheel, and the need for a standard in dementia care training.
Lord believes dementia care leads to a better quality of life for those living with dementia. Her novel approach has been shown to reverse the symptoms of dementia in some cases.
Lord is French-Canadian by birth and became naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1988. She continues her 15-year tradition of teaching and advocacy to find a balance between research and care in Alzheimer’s. The book covers the width and breadth of Alzheimer’s coaching, offering information that is useful for families, students, and professionals alike.
She suggests there is urgency for the medical community to get on board and seriously support the burden imposed by this devastating condition now left squarely on the shoulders of families. At the same time, industries need to support their workforce with caregiving issues that are disrupting the workflow and threatening their livelihood.
Lord is president and founder of the International Caregivers Association (ICA) and lives in Mapleton. She earned a master’s of education in counseling from the University of Maine at Orono in 1992 and her doctorate of management in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix in 2010.
She served as president of the Maine Gerontological Society for two terms in the 1990s and has worked as a professor of organizational behavior at several universities.
She is married to Maj. Larry S. Potter, USAF retired, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia in January 2003. She said she has 17 years of experience as a “pack leader” for her husband, and realized early on in this role that there is an urgent need for a change in the way dementia care is delivered to care receivers.
She also realized how caregivers lack support and guidance through this process.
