This Government Program Will Help Support Dementia Patients and Their Caregivers
About 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and are cared for by a small army of about 11 million carers. Many caregivers are friends and relatives, doing difficult, often thankless work for little or no pay. If you are one of your caregivers, more support and assistance may soon be available to you.
This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the Dementia Improvement Model for Dementia (GUIDE) pilot program, designed to “support people living with dementia and their unpaid caregivers.” The goal of the program is to develop a comprehensive strategy for caring for people with dementia through the provision of coordinated services and support.
What can caregivers expect from the GUIDE model?
The voluntary system will provide free education and support services to carers of people with dementia, such as:
- 24/7 hotline
- A trained “care navigator” to help connect caregivers to available clinical and non-clinical services such as food and transportation.
- “Comprehensive, person-centered” assessments and care plans
- “Evidence-based education and support,” such as learning best practices for caring for a loved one with dementia.
- Paying members to fund “breathing services” such as home helpers
In other words, the program organizes and standardizes the support services provided by home caregivers and allocates funds for much-needed vacations.
Do you need to enroll in the Guide program to benefit from it?
If you are a single caregiver or a person with dementia, you do not have an enrollment program or steps to follow. However, CMS is accepting letters of interest from Medicare Part B providers and practitioners and will begin seeking candidates in the fall. The launch of GUIDE is scheduled for July 1, 2024 and will last eight years.
What are the broader goals of the GUIDE program?
The program is an attempt to reduce the common negative effects on people with dementia and their caregivers. It is believed that a coordinated approach can reduce the frequency of hospital admissions and emergency room visits for people with dementia. It also aims to reduce high levels of stress and depression in people caring for people with dementia.
The program is also designed to address systemic health inequalities. Blacks and Hispanics have a higher prevalence of dementia, but are less likely to receive a timely diagnosis and spend a higher proportion of their family assets on dementia treatment, according to CMS. To counter this, CMS has committed to looking for organizations in underserved communities to enroll in the program and ultimately provide value-added services to the people who need them most.