Key Relationships with Canadian and
International Organizations
The Consortium has several key relationships with Canadian and international organizations. Three such examples are:
The Consortium has a valuable relationship with Reena, an Ontario-based organization that has been at the forefront of work related to intellectual disabilities, aging, and dementia in Canada. Reena provides the Consortium with administrative assistance for workshop and training events. It is also an integral partner in the Consortium’s public policy and advocacy efforts.
The Consortium also maintains a cross-border relationship with the NTG in the United States. They supported the Canadian adaptation of the NTG US’s National Training Curriculum on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia. There has been ongoing collaboration between the two organizations over the years.
Two International Summits (Glasgow 2016 and Toronto 2023) were held with colleagues from various countries. In particular, the Toronto Summit saw a number of Canadians participating. A couple of Consortium members were involved in both Summits developing international relationships as well as participating in event publications. A Summit Secretariat formed in 2023 plans to coordinate efforts to hold successive International Summits.
Leadership Team
The Consortium Team has a rich history of academic, direct services, and public policy involvement including cross‑sector work. The leadership team is a small group of individuals that guides the development and work of the Consortium.
Currently the Team consists of volunteers from B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario with backgrounds related to dementia and intellectual disabilities, including caregivers, practitioners and researchers.
Our goal is to gradually and thoughtfully add new members to the team to provide the group increased engagement across Canada and cross‑sector perspectives.
If you are interested in participating on the team, please contact Leslie.
Consortium Co-Leads
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Leslie Udell
Leslie Udell is one of the Master Trainers for the NTG Canada Dementia Curriculum Training. She has over 35 years of experience supporting adults with an intellectual disability, specializing in healthy aging, dementia supports and end of life care. She has written chapters in two books focused on dementia and people with I.D.
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Sandy Stemp
Sandy Stemp is the Chief Operations Officer at Reena with 30+ years of experience in the developmental disabilities sector. With a background in nursing, she specializes in the intersection of health, aging, and developmental services, leading Reena through major growth and overseeing all program operations.
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Nancy S. Jokinen
Nancy S. Jokinen, MSW, PhD is currently an Adjunct Professor at UNBC’s School of Social Work, a Master Trainer for the Canadian Consortium and on the NTG-USA Board of Directors. She has 35+ years of experience including cross sector work and multiple publications related to adults aging with intellectual disabilities and family caregivers.