Ceresti Health Opens Medicare GUIDE ‘Wait List’ for Dementia Care

Ceresti Health, the nation’s leading tech-enabled dementia care provider, has opened a digital “wait list” for people in all 50 states on traditional Medicare whose family caregivers want to queue up for Medicare’s free dementia care program before it launches on July 1, 2025.

The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center is designed to increase access to much-needed support for people living with dementia and their caregivers. GUIDE will provide:

• 1:1 support from a dedicated, vetted Caregiver Coach
• Personalized dementia education, caregiving tools and resources
• Up to $2,500 per year for family caregiver breaks (respite care)—fully funded

The program is fully funded by Medicare, with no out-of-pocket costs to patients or their family caregivers.

As one of only 390 participating organizations, Ceresti was selected by CMS to test this new care model due to the company’s proven ability to activate family caregivers to lower costs and improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their families through Medicare Advantage. Today, the company is excited to expand the program to help family caregivers of patients on traditional Medicare.

With the opening of the “wait list,” Ceresti furthers its mission by helping family caregivers find out if they are eligible to enroll in the program.

“Activating family caregivers by giving them the just-in-time tools, training and support they need significantly lowers healthcare costs, improves outcomes, relieves caregiver burnout and increases health equity,” said Dirk Soenksen, CEO of Ceresti Health. “Through the GUIDE Model, CMS is shining a light on the role the caregiver plays in improving the quality of life for people living with dementia, and we are proud to partner in this effort.”

Once a person’s eligibility is verified by Medicare, Ceresti will enroll them in the program and send an iPad-like tablet (the Ceresti tablet) to the family caregiver’s home. The Ceresti tablet is preloaded with the Ceresti app and Internet access is included. No WiFi is needed. The Ceresti tablet is configured to be usable only for the Ceresti program.

The Ceresti tablet allows the family caregiver to share regular assessments and monitoring with a dedicated Care Navigator. Any changes in condition can be immediately identified and addressed, providing the patient with the care they need and giving the caregiver the knowledge and resources to best support their loved one.

Family caregivers have described the Ceresti program as lifechanging as they navigate their loved one’s dementia journey.

"With dad I try really hard not to show frustration and try to be upbeat about things, and this program is helping me really understand it all better, and has been very helpful for me,” said a daughter of a person with dementia. “The safety part is a huge issue, and he is not really capable of it and cannot do that piece for himself. I am learning a lot, and my coach has been wonderful."

“Family caregivers are often the first – and best – people on a patient’s ‘team’ to detect subtle changes that could signify such emerging issues as urinary tract infections, medication noncompliance and other problems that, if noticed and solved early, can head off a costly and disruptive hospitalization,” said Ceresti Chief Medical Officer John Mach, M.D., who commends CMS for its focus on innovating beyond the traditional model of caregiver support.

“Giving family caregivers a set of resources like websites and brochures falls short. It’s not helpful, not sufficient,” Dr. Mach said. “What Ceresti offers is not caregiver support, but caregiver enablement. Nobody else has the customized support that provides the just-in-time training for caregivers. This is unique, and it is making a difference.”

To access the Ceresti wait list and queue up for GUIDE assistance in dementia care, visit guide.ceresti.com.

ABOUT CERESTI

Ceresti Health is a tech-enabled dementia care provider with a differentiated model of care that activates family caregivers to improve outcomes and significantly reduce the high and largely hidden healthcare costs associated with dementia. Independently validated clinical studies found that Ceresti reduced avoidable hospitalizations more than 50%. Ceresti has been selected to participate in the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center. The goal of the GUIDE Model is to increase access to much-needed support for people living with dementia and their caregivers. To learn more about Ceresti Health, visit www.ceresti.com.

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