Always Best Care’s Guide to Dementia Care: No-Cost Respite Support for Family Caregivers
GUIDE Dementia Care: No-Cost Respite Support for Family Caregivers
Taking on the role of caring for a loved one diagnosed with dementia can be both emotionally and physically exhausting. This doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong; you’ve done something incredible to support someone you love dearly. I want to let you know you don’t have to hold everything alone if things start to feel heavier. The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model, a Medicare covered program, offers services provided by PocketRN, a CMS Innovation Center participant.
Through the GUIDE model, eligible families receive up to 72 hours per year of paid in-home respite care. This is designed to support family caregivers at no-cost to qualifying Medicare beneficiaries. GUIDE services are provided by Pocket RN, a CMS Innovation Center participant, who’s experienced dementia train nurses, lead care coordination, provide ongoing guidance, and help families access and use this respite benefit. 
This program is open to individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare parts A and B, already have a moderate to severe dementia diagnosis, and currently is living at home or in a senior living setting. This program is not available to those using a Medicare advantage plan, or currently in a long-term skilled nursing facility or on hospice.
Eligible families may use up to 72 hours of respite care each year in minimum four-hour visits. Hours reset annually and do not roll over. Beyond respite scheduling, PocketRN’s dementia trained nurses provide ongoing care including comprehensive assessments, medication review, symptom monitoring, family caregiver education, and coordination with physicians and community providers.
Always Best Care Pasadena is a proud community partner of PocketRN. We are honored to connect families in the San Gabriel Valley, and Foothill communities to the GUIDE model. We are an approved respite care provider through PocketRN, and support families with additional non-GUIDE services, such as ongoing in-home care, senior living guidance, and connections to local aging resources.
If you’ve been caring for a loved one with dementia on your own, what you’ve done already matters deeply. Support doesn’t replace your care, it strengthens it. To explore whether no-cost respite support may be available, call or text Always Best Care Pasadena at 626-701-7673.
