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CARING FOR SOMEONE WITH DEMENTIA?

Paid Help at Home — at No Cost to You

Medicare now offers a program called GUIDE for people with a dementia diagnosis who have Traditional Medicare. It pays for extra support at home — including about 65 hours a year of in‑home help so the person who cares for you can rest.

Your call is free and 100% confidential. No paperwork for you — we handle it.

THE PART MOST FAMILIES ASK ABOUT FIRST

About 65 hours a year of in‑home help

It’s called “respite care.” A trained helper comes to your home and stays with you, so the person who usually cares for you can run errands, see their own doctor, or simply rest. You pay nothing and file no paperwork — we arrange it.

GUIDE is a Medicare program. Joining is voluntary and does not change your Medicare coverage or your doctors. 

Who qualifies — three things have to be true 

medicare card

Check your card

If your Medicare card is red, white and blue and says MEDICARE HEALTH INSURANCE across the top, with Part A and Part B listed, you have Traditional Medicare — and you likely qualify. If your card comes from an insurance company (Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser, Blue Cross and others), you have a Medicare Advantage plan.

Have Medicare Advantage? GUIDE and its respite hours aren’t available to you, but we may have other services that can help. Call us and we’ll walk you through your options.

Not sure? Call us. We’ll check in a short phone call — no commitment.


Sound familiar? GUIDE was built for moments like these.

“I haven’t had a day to myself in months.”

RESPITE — A TRAINED HELPER COMES TO YOUR HOME

“Mom won’t take her pills, and I don’t know who to call.”

YOUR OWN CARE NAVIGATOR HANDLES IT

“It’s 2 a.m. and Dad is awake and upset. I don’t know what to do.”

A 24/7 LINE — A REAL PERSON, DAY OR NIGHT

“What do I do when he refuses a bath — or won’t settle at night?”

CAREGIVER COACHING ON THE HARD STUFF

What you get — at no charge

We work alongside your doctors to manage dementia — with real support at home. Everything below is part of GUIDE and paid for by Medicare.

Every visit is by phone or video. No travel, no waiting rooms, and the person who helps you most is welcome to join every call.

  • Your own Care Navigator — one person, by name, for any problem

  • A 24/7 phone line answered by a real person

  • A written care plan built with your family and shared with your doctors

  • Medication check‑ups so prescriptions aren’t making confusion worse

  • Caregiver training on the hard stuff — bathing, wandering, evening restlessness

  • Help finding local resources — adult day programs, meals, rides, support groups

  • About 65 hours a year of respite — in‑home help so your caregiver can rest

What You Can Expect:

RIGHT NOWA brief call to see if you qualify

Call us, or leave your number and we’ll call you. We check the three requirements and answer your questions. No commitment. 

OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKSA full evaluation, all by phone or video

A neurology visit, a cognitive assessment, and a follow-up to review results and enroll you in GUIDE, all by phone or video. We do the paperwork. Then you meet your Care Navigator, who looks at your needs and your caregiver's.

ONGOINGYour care plan, respite arranged, regular check‑ins

A written care plan shared with your doctors. The 24/7 line is open. We schedule the in‑home helper with a local agency — you don’t file anything. 

A NOTE FROM OUR CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

You don’t have to go through this alone.

I’m Dr. Travis Wilkes, Chief Medical Officer at BrainHealth. Families caring for someone with dementia carry an enormous load, usually without a break and often without anyone to call. GUIDE exists to change that — and Medicare pays for it. My team’s job is to make it simple: one short call, and we take it from there.

Dr. Travis Wilkes
Chief Medical Officer, BrainHealth

“ 

“When my husband was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I felt lost. I didn’t know how to prepare for the changes ahead or how to support him in the best way. The staff at BrainHealth immediately became a source of comfort and guidance. They treated my husband with dignity and respect, while also giving me the knowledge I needed to understand the disease and its progression. Thanks to BrainHealth, I no longer feel like I am facing this journey alone.”

CARE PARTNER · FLORIDA
 

Common Questions

 

What is GUIDE?  GUIDE (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience) is a Medicare program for people living with dementia and the people who care for them. BrainHealth is a GUIDE provider. We coordinate the program and deliver the support. 
What does it cost? Nothing. GUIDE services — including respite hours — are paid for by Medicare. There is no premium, no copay for the program, and no paperwork for you to file.
Will this change my Medicare or my doctors? No. Joining is voluntary, you can leave at any time, and it does not change your Medicare coverage or who your doctors are. We work alongside your existing care team and share your care plan with them. 
Is this an in‑person visit? No. All visits are by phone or video from home — we’ll call, email and text you a reminder. Please have the person who helps you most join the call. The only thing that happens in your home is the respite helper, and on-site care assessment.
How does respite actually work?

Your Care Navigator schedules a trained helper from a local home care agency to come to your home for the hours you choose. The helper stays with the person with dementia while the caregiver is away. We arrange and pay the agency directly. 

Who counts as a caregiver? A spouse, adult child, sibling, friend or neighbor who helps regularly and isn’t paid to do so. Respite is available to patients with moderate or advanced dementia who have an unpaid caregiver. 
What if I have a Medicare Advantage plan? GUIDE is only available with Traditional Medicare (Part A and Part B). If you have Medicare Advantage, call us anyway — we may still be able to help, and we’ll tell you honestly what your options are. 
What happens after I reach out? Our care team calls you back within one business day to confirm the three requirements and schedule your short phone or video visit. 

Let's get started.

You’ve been carrying this long enough. One short call is all it takes to find out if GUIDE can help — and to get real support at home, at no cost to you.

Free and 100% confidential.

GUIDE (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience) is a Medicare program run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for people with dementia who have Traditional Medicare. Enrollment is voluntary, you may leave at any time, and it does not change your Medicare coverage or your doctors. Respite is available to patients with moderate or advanced dementia who have an unpaid caregiver, up to Medicare’s annual limit. The statements contained in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CMS. Eligibility requirements apply. Not all individuals qualify. Note: this is not medical advice.