This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Amanda Overstreet about the new pilot Medicare program (GUIDE) that offers dementia care navigation services for eligible individuals and their caregivers. Dr. Overstreet is a geriatrician and Interim Medical Director of Geriatrics at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. It's estimated that 11.5% of individuals over 65 years of age in South Carolina are living with dementia. Doctor Amanda Overstreet is here to talk about the new, pilot Medicare program called GUIDE, that offers dementia care navigation services for those who are eligible. Doctor Overstreet is a geriatrician and she's Interim Medical Director for Geriatrics at MUSC. Doctor Overstreet, I know you're the Medical Director for the GUIDE program at MUSC. So, tell us about this relatively new support program for Medicare that's available nationwide to eligible patients with dementia and their caregivers.
Dr. Overstreet: GUIDE stands for Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, and it's really the first Medicare program of its kind where instead of providing only medical services to patients, GUIDE provides additional caregiver supports. Essentially, patients who have received a diagnosis of dementia can enroll in guide during that enrollment visit. They meet with either a geriatrician or a neurologist to develop a medical care plan for their dementia. And then they also meet with a navigator who will help augment any supports that are needed for both the patient and the caregiver. The goal of the program is to keep patients living in their communities, at home, for as long as possible.
Conner: What exactly is meant by dementia care navigation services, which are a part of this guide program?
Dr. Overstreet: The navigator is either a registered nurse or a social worker by background, and their role is education for the caregivers, helping to plan for the future, and then also to help patients and their caregivers access resources, whether that be local agencies on aging and possible grants to provide in-home care giving, to even things like going to an adult day center, and being able to get out and do more social activities.
Conner: Who is eligible for dementia support from the GUIDE program?
Dr. Overstreet: Any patient with a diagnosis of any type of dementia is eligible for the program, as long as they have traditional Medicare A and B. Unfortunately, Medicare has not yet opened this program up to patients with Medicare Advantage plans.
Conner: And tell us about the respite care that is offered by this GUIDE program.
Dr. Overstreet: So, respite simply means that we're giving the caregiver a little bit of a break. For patients with more advanced dementia, Medicare offers $2,600 per year towards the respite benefit. Caregivers can elect to use this for in-home care giving, for having the patient go to an adult day center periodically, or even a very short stay in a skilled nursing facility.
Conner: How can a person find out if the GUIDE program from Medicare is available in their area of South Carolina?
Dr. Overstreet: You can simply search online for Medicare GUIDE (G-u-i-d-e), and when you find that website, if you scroll towards the bottom, they have a section called Helpful Resources and it has a participant list of GUIDE providers.
Conner: Doctor Overstreet, thanks for talking with us about this Medicare support program for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Dr. Overstreet: Thanks for having me.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
