Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model Aims to Increase Care Coordination, Support for Caregivers
September 9, 2024 – St. Louis, Missouri – Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) has been selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to participate in a new Medicare alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their caregivers.
The program model called GUIDE, which stands for Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, is creating a system of free caregiving navigators for people in Medicare who have any stage of dementia and their family caregivers.
Through GUIDE, LSS will build Dementia Care Programs to increase care coordination and improve access to services and supports, including respite care, for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
“CMS is excited to partner with LSS under the GUIDE Model,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “GUIDE is a new approach to how Medicare will pay for the care of people living with dementia. The GUIDE participants are envisioning new ways to support not only people living with dementia, but also to reduce strain on the people who care for them.”
LSS will offer a new payment approach for key supportive services furnished to people living with dementia including: comprehensive, person-centered assessments and care plans; care coordination; 24/7 access to an interdisciplinary care team member or help line; and respite services to support caregivers. People with dementia and their caregivers will have the assistance and support of a Care Navigator to help them access clinical and non-clinical services such as meals and transportation through community-based organizations.
“We believe all individuals deserve to live a life filled with meaning and purpose. This opportunity aligns with our goals at LSS to develop new and innovative approaches to supporting people living with any form of dementia and their loved ones,” said Colleen Bottens, LSS Vice President for Home and Community Based Services.
For more information on CMS’ GUIDE Model, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/innovation-models/guide.
About Lutheran Senior Services
Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) is a mission-driven, nonprofit network that specializes in housing, care, and supportive services for older adults 60+. With 22 locations in Missouri, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, LSS is the 11th largest nonprofit senior living organization in the country, serving more than 15,000 older adults a year through options that include senior living communities offering all levels of living, affordable housing for those with limited incomes, and home & community-based services. LSS builds upon more than 160 years of excellence in living out its mission of Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest.