Free dementia care most families never hear about.
Medicare quietly runs a program called GUIDE. For families who qualify, it provides a dedicated dementia care navigator, a written care plan, caregiver training, a 24/7 support line — and up to $2,500 a year toward respite so you can rest. No premium. No catch. Almost no one is told it exists.
Four quick questions will tell you if she likely qualifies. Nothing is saved — this runs in your browser.
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1. Has a doctor diagnosed her with dementia (Alzheimer's or another kind)?
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2. Is she on Original Medicare (Parts A & B) — not a Medicare Advantage plan, and not PACE?
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3. Is she living at home or in the community (not in a nursing home)?
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4. Is she not currently enrolled in Medicare hospice?
She likely qualifies for GUIDE. Here's how to start.
Based on your answers, she fits the eligibility. GUIDE is delivered by participating clinics and health systems — you enroll through one of them. Any one of these three doors works:
Find a GUIDE provider near her
CMS keeps a public list of the ~400 participating organizations. Find one in her area and ask to enroll. →
Call the Alzheimer's Association — 1-800-272-3900
Free, 24/7. They'll explain GUIDE in plain language and help you find a participating program. →
Ask her doctor
If her doctor's practice is a GUIDE participant, they can enroll her directly. If not, they can refer her. Typical time from first call to active services is a few weeks. →
She may not fit GUIDE — but you still have doors.
GUIDE has strict rules (it's a Medicare test model), but it's one door of several. The Alzheimer's Association helpline is free whether or not she qualifies, and co-op.care's own free check looks at the whole funding picture — VA, Medicaid self-direction, HSA/FSA, and more.
What GUIDE gives you — and what it doesn't
Honest, so no one is disappointed at the door.
What it gives
A dedicated care navigator, a written care plan, evidence-based caregiver training, a 24/7 support line, help connecting to community services, and up to $2,500/year toward respite (in-home, adult day, or facility). →
What it isn't
It is not a daily home aide. GUIDE gives you guidance, training, and respite dollars — not someone to cook dinner or help with the bath every day. That gap is where co-op.care's own care comes in. →
Get paid to give care
The real programs that pay family caregivers — CDASS, VA, HSA/FSA, and more.
The honest cost math
Home vs. a facility — what each really costs a month, and the funding most families miss.
Discharged too soon? Your rights
What to do when a hospital or rehab sends your parent home before they're ready.
GUIDE gives you a navigator. We give you the hours.
Enroll in GUIDE — it's free and it's real. Then, for the actual hands-on hours it doesn't send, co-op.care is building care by neighbors who own the work, so they stay. We're forming in Boulder, and honest about it. See what her family qualifies for — free, about five minutes, no card.
This check is a plain-language guide, not an eligibility determination or medical advice. Final eligibility is decided by a participating GUIDE provider and CMS. Program details can change — confirm current rules with the CMS GUIDE Model page or the Alzheimer's Association. co-op.care is a member-owned cooperative forming in Boulder, Colorado; it does not run GUIDE.