The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, which aims to enhance the quality of life for people with dementia, support unpaid caregivers and enable people to remain in their homes and communities through care coordination and management, caregiver education and respite services.
“HHS continues to innovate to help Americans living with dementia and their unpaid caregivers. Our new GUIDE Model has the potential to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and alleviate the significant strain on our families," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a July 31 news release. "We are proud to take these steps to deliver on the President’s promise to increase care coordination and improve access to services and supports for our families."
The model will be tested by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and is a key deliverable from President Biden's Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, addressing the goals of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease, the release reported.
Through the GUIDE Model, CMS will explore an alternate payment method for participants that provide essential care coordination services; 24/7 access to a support line; thorough, person-centered assessments; and care plans for people with dementia. The concept provides access to a care navigator who will assist dementia patients and their caregivers in finding resources and support, including clinical and non-clinical services like meals and transportation provided by community-based groups, the release said.
The model also aims to improve access to the resources and help that caregivers require, which, according to the release, is Goal 3 of the National Plan and a top focus of the Biden-Harris administration: Increase Supports for Families and Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.
Through investments in research and services by HHS and others, evidence-based models of support for carers of individuals with dementia and dementia-capable community-based providers have been increased during the past 10 years, the release reported.
In order to help persons with dementia and their caregivers receive education and support, such as training programs on best practices for caring for a loved one living with dementia, the model will establish a link between the clinical health care system and community-based providers. Participants in the model will also assist caregivers in finding respite services, which lets them take short vacations from their caregiving duties, the release said.
The release emphasized the need for facility care can be avoided or postponed with the assistance of respite care, which enables carers to continue caring for their loved ones at home.
