To address the prevalent gaps in dementia care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently developed the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model to enhance dementia care coordination and support caregivers. The eight-year voluntary GUIDE model involves interdisciplinary care, caregiver support and education, and respite services, with a goal to help people with dementia remain at home longer.
To qualify, individuals must have a confirmed dementia diagnosis from a clinician practicing within a GUIDE program and may not already be living in a long-term care facility. Beneficiaries must also be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B as their primary payer — they can also be dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.
Organizations such as Avocare, a Dearborn-based home care and care management group, began implementing the GUIDE Model this summer. Avocare is actively providing its partner providers, including primary care physicians, geriatricians and psychiatrists, with GUIDE materials, says chief financial officer John Hillary.
“If patients end up hospitalized, they don’t have to go to a nursing home and remain there — they can go right back home with these services,” Hillary said.
Led by Avocare Executive Officer Jennifer Hillary, the women-owned company primarily serves Detroit’s Latino and Black communities. Historically, these communities demonstrate low participation levels in dementia support programs, says Natalie Garcia-Foster of Avocare.
“Knowing the programs that are available, we saw the need to help our community,” Garcia-Foster says. “What is nice about the GUIDE program is that all barriers and access to programs have been removed, including out-of-pocket costs and income eligibility requirements”.
A major benefit of GUIDE is the ability to connect dementia patients and caregivers with respite services, including adult day care and inpatient care, behavioral health services, transportation, and some environmental modifications at home. Avocare also provides in-person or virtual caregiver training and support, and recently launched a 24/7 support and referral line.
To learn more, visit Avocare at www.avocarehs.com, or call 810.275.1885.
This story was produced by the New York & Michigan Solutions Journalism Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations and community partners dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about successful responses to social problems. To read this article in its entirety and related stories visit:bit.ly/41sXgl5. The collaborative has compiled a detailed Caregiving Resource Guide with links to online information about various issues of interest to caregivers at https://nymisojo.com/resource-guide/
Comments