Medicare has a new pilot program to help people with dementia. Here’s how it works

[Northeast Agent]

Medicare has a new pilot program to help people with dementia. Here’s how it works

Medicare's GUIDE program is creating a system of free caregiving navigators for Medicare beneficiaries who have any stage of dementia.

fortune.com

GUIDE, which stands for Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience and launched July 1, 2024, is creating a system of free caregiving navigators for people in Medicare who have any stage of dementia and their family caregivers.

The navigators get 20 hours of training to help recipients sort through the confusing, sometimes maddening, system of health care and long-term care, so they receive appropriate assistance.

They meet with the Medicare beneficiary or caregiver between once a quarter and twice a month or more, depending on the complexity of the need. GUIDE participants also offer 24/7 help lines.

Medicare reimburses GUIDE participants for their services—$65 a month to $390 a month, depending on the complexity of care for the person with dementia. Medicare beneficiaries don’t have to pay a nickel.

 

[Northeast Agent]

“A person with Traditional Medicare who has been diagnosed with dementia, or who suspects they may have dementia, may contact a GUIDE participant to schedule an initial comprehensive assessment visit at any time,” says a spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “Caregivers may also contact GUIDE participants on behalf of an individual with dementia or whom they suspect to have dementia.”

GUIDE is not available to people in nursing homes or hospice or with Medicare Advantage plans from private health insurers, though those alternative plans can offer dementia care navigation on their own.

 

[shonceman]

Medicare has a new pilot program to help people with dementia. Here’s how it works

Medicare's GUIDE program is creating a system of free caregiving navigators for Medicare beneficiaries who have any stage of dementia.

fortune.com

GUIDE, which stands for Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience and launched July 1, 2024, is creating a system of free caregiving navigators for people in Medicare who have any stage of dementia and their family caregivers.

The navigators get 20 hours of training to help recipients sort through the confusing, sometimes maddening, system of health care and long-term care, so they receive appropriate assistance.

They meet with the Medicare beneficiary or caregiver between once a quarter and twice a month or more, depending on the complexity of the need. GUIDE participants also offer 24/7 help lines.

Medicare reimburses GUIDE participants for their services—$65 a month to $390 a month, depending on the complexity of care for the person with dementia. Medicare beneficiaries don’t have to pay a nickel.

Our family has just been discussing how to help my wife’s sister care for my 92 year old mother-in-law with dementia. This looks very helpful! Thanks for sharing!