MEDICARE GUIDE PROGRAM
Medicare’s GUIDE Program for Families Living With Dementia
If your loved one has been diagnosed with dementia and lives at home, Medicare may now cover support that it has never covered before. Most families have not heard about it.
What GUIDE is
GUIDE stands for Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience. It is a Medicare program that began in July 2024 and runs for eight years. It is available in every state.
Medicare pays approved organizations, called Dementia Care Programs, to support two people at once: the person living with dementia, and the family member caring for them. Most programs treat the patient and leave the family to manage. This one does not.
The goal is to help your loved one stay safely at home for as long as that is possible.
Who it is for
Your loved one may qualify if they:
- Have dementia, Alzheimer’s or another cognitive impairment
- Have traditional Medicare, Parts A and B
- Have Medicare as their primary insurance
- Live at home, with family, or in independent or assisted living
GUIDE is not available to anyone on a Medicare Advantage plan, including Special Needs Plans, anyone enrolled in hospice or PACE, or anyone living in a long term nursing home.
If there is no formal diagnosis yet, that does not rule you out. Part of enrollment is an evaluation by the program’s clinician.
Final eligibility is confirmed by the Dementia Care Program, never by a home care agency.
What a qualifying family receives
Six things, at no added cost to eligible families.
A dedicated caregiver coach
Weekly calls through the first 30 days, and help whenever something comes up after that. The same coach stays with your family for as long as your loved one remains eligible.
A 24 hour on-call line
A nurse from the Dementia Care Program is available any hour, nights and weekends included. This is provided by the Dementia Care Program.
A Wi-Fi enabled tablet
Provided and set up, with its own connection, for caregiver training and telehealth appointments. You do not need your own device or an internet plan.
Caregiver education
Dementia care strategies, ways to reduce frustration, how to spot early warning signs, how to prepare for doctor visits, and how to plan ahead.
Help finding local services
Your coach connects you with food programs, social and engagement programs, and other support near you.
Up to 76 hours of respite care at home
For families whose loved one qualifies for GUIDE respite, a trained Golden Years caregiver comes to your home so you can rest, run errands, or see your own doctor. The program sets an annual limit, and not everyone enrolled in GUIDE qualifies for respite.
Who does what
The Dementia Care Program runs GUIDE. They employ the coach and the clinicians, build the care plan, and coordinate with your loved one’s own doctors.
Golden Years Home Care is a home care partner in the program, and we do two things.
A care manager visits your home and documents your loved one’s daily needs, safety risks and routine. That supports qualification and helps us match the right caregiver.
Then, once respite is approved, a Golden Years caregiver provides up to 76 hours of care at home. Companionship, supervision, personal care, meals, light housekeeping and engagement, scheduled in blocks that fit your week rather than all at once.
We bill the program directly. Your family never receives a bill from us for those hours.
Your first 30 days
Respite care begins at the end of 30 days, and you are not left waiting on your own.
- Day 1, free consultation. We explain GUIDE, answer your questions, and walk you through what happens next. No cost and no obligation.
- Eligibility confirmed. Traditional Medicare, a cognitive impairment diagnosis, and living at home.
- A caregiver coach is assigned. They stay with your family for the whole program.
- Your tablet arrives. Set up and ready for trainings and weekly coaching calls.
- The 24 hour line opens. Available from enrollment, for the nights when something feels wrong.
- Telehealth appointments. Visits with the care team, including a neurologist, by video from home.
- End of 30 days, respite begins. If your family qualifies for respite, you meet your Golden Years caregiver and your hours start.
Timing depends on appointment availability and program approval. We keep you updated at every step.
What it costs
Nothing added, for eligible families.
This surprises people, and the reason is that Medicare normally does not pay for respite care at all outside of hospice. GUIDE is the exception. That is why so few families know it exists.
What to have ready for the assessment
Your loved one’s Medicare card. A current medication list, including anything over the counter. The names and numbers of their doctors. Any recent hospital paperwork. And a rough description of an ordinary day, from waking to bed.
Questions families ask
Is it really no cost? What is the catch?
GUIDE is a Medicare program offered at no added cost to eligible families. There is no catch, and no obligation to continue with us afterward.
Will this change my loved one's Medicare or their doctors?
No. They keep their Medicare and their own doctors. The care team coordinates with them.
She has not been formally diagnosed yet.
That is alright. Part of enrollment is a telehealth evaluation with a neurologist.
We are not comfortable with technology.
The tablet comes ready to use with its own Wi-Fi, and your coach will help you get comfortable with it.
What happens after the respite hours are used?
Your coach, the on-call line and the training continue for as long as your loved one remains eligible. If you would like more care at home after that, we are happy to talk about options.
Who are your caregivers?
Trained, background screened Golden Years employees, supervised by our care management team. You meet your caregiver before care begins.
My loved one has a Medicare Advantage plan.
GUIDE is currently for traditional Medicare only. Call us anyway and we will walk you through other ways to get support.
Where we serve
Golden Years Home Care serves families across California from twelve locations: Sacramento, Roseville, Elk Grove, Folsom, Lincoln, Davis, San Diego, Mission Valley, Moraga, Irvine, Monterey and Fairfield.
Find out whether your family qualifies
One phone call. We ask a few straightforward questions, explain your options, and if GUIDE is not the right fit we will tell you that too.
Sacramento and Greater Sacramento: (916) 333-0383
San Diego County: (619) 430-4443
Golden Years Home Care is family owned and has been caring for California families since 1996. HCO Lic. #344700040.
This page is general information for families and is not medical, legal, financial or insurance advice. GUIDE eligibility is determined by a Medicare-approved Dementia Care Program, and program rules, benefits and timelines may change. Respite hours are available to eligible participants. Golden Years Home Care is an independently owned and operated non-medical home care organization and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
