Our Mission. Our Vision.
As the number of individuals living with dementia continues to grow, rehabilitation professionals are increasingly called to support function, participation, and quality of life across the continuum of care.
LEAD™ was created to meet this need — by providing a structured, strength-based framework that helps clinicians adapt care, build meaningful therapeutic relationships, and support engagement in everyday life.
The framework reflects an ongoing commitment to advancing dementia-informed rehabilitation through research, education, and clinical collaboration.
How LEAD™ was Developed.
The LEAD™ Framework for Rehabilitation Professionals was developed through collaboration between rehabilitation science and cognitive aging research, informed by clinical experience and supported by emerging evidence in dementia care, learning, communication, and behavior.
The framework reflects an integration of strength-based practice, person-centered rehabilitation, and cognitive and behavioral principles that shape how individuals engage, adapt, and participate across the course of dementia. Drawing from interdisciplinary care models and real-world clinical needs, LEAD™ was designed to help rehabilitation professionals translate knowledge into everyday practice.
Rather than serving as a single intervention or protocol, LEAD™ provides a structured way of thinking about care — guiding how clinicians communicate, design interventions, and support participation in meaningful activities across settings.
The Creators of the LEAD™ Framework & Training
Nicole Dawson, PT, PhD, FNAP
University of Central Florida
Dr. Dawson is a rehabilitation scientist and physical therapist specializing in aging, dementia, and functional mobility. Her work focuses on translating research into practical approaches that improve participation, safety, and quality of life for older adults across care settings.
Her clinical and research experiences highlighted a consistent gap: rehabilitation professionals wanted to support individuals living with dementia, but lacked structured frameworks to guide communication, engagement, and intervention design. LEAD™ emerged from this need.
Katherine Judge, PhD
Cleveland State University
Dr. Judge is a cognitive aging researcher whose work focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating rehabilitative, psychosocial skills training, and care-coordination models for individuals living with cognitive impairment, their family caregivers, and healthcare providers.
Her research is designed to improve well-being, coping, functional outcomes, and caregiver support across the progression of cognitive conditions. She also studies the lived experience of cognitive impairment, including dementia, stroke, and traumatic brain injury, with the goal of informing care models that are both practical and person-centered.
Dr. Judge’s expertise in behavior, adaptation, and psychosocial support helped shape the LEAD™ framework’s emphasis on preserved abilities, environmental context, and meaningful engagement in rehabilitation.
Our Commitment.
LEAD™ is guided by a belief that individuals living with dementia retain abilities, identity, and the capacity for participation throughout the progression of the condition. Rehabilitation has the potential to support these abilities when care is responsive, person-centered, and grounded in everyday realities.
Through continued development and dissemination, LEAD™ is committed to expanding access to dementia-informed rehabilitation education and supporting clinicians in applying strength-based strategies in practice. The framework and training program emphasize collaboration across disciplines, the translation of research into real-world care, and ongoing efforts to improve outcomes for individuals living with dementia and those who support them.
As knowledge and care models evolve, LEAD™ remains focused on strengthening the connection between evidence, clinical practice, and the lived experiences of individuals and families.
Looking Ahead.
The next phase of LEAD™ focuses on expanding education, implementation, and professional development opportunities for rehabilitation providers. The LEAD™ Dementia Rehabilitation Specialist (DRS) certification is a professional pathway for rehabilitation providers seeking advanced preparation in dementia-informed rehabilitation.
Ongoing efforts include:
development of online training and certification pathways
integration into clinical education and professional training
continued research and dissemination
partnerships across rehabilitation and healthcare settings
As the field evolves, LEAD™ will continue to grow as a resource for clinicians seeking practical, evidence-informed approaches to dementia rehabilitation.
LEAD™ represents a shift in how rehabilitation professionals understand and support individuals living with dementia — from focusing on limitations to recognizing strengths, from managing symptoms to enabling participation, and from treating a diagnosis to engaging a person.
It is both a framework and a shared commitment to delivering rehabilitation that is responsive, person-centered, and grounded in the realities of clinical practice.
Contact us.
Interested in receiving information about training and our certification program? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We look forward to working with you.