GUIDE Model Dementia Care Training
The CMS GUIDE (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience) Model is an eight-year Medicare initiative that provides comprehensive care coordination, caregiver education, and respite services for people living with dementia. Nevvon delivers GUIDE-specific direct care worker training that helps participating agencies meet the model’s caregiver education requirements.
What Is the CMS GUIDE Model
The GUIDE Model launched in July 2024 with 390 participating organizations across 46 states. It is the first CMS Innovation Center model focused specifically on longitudinal, comprehensive dementia care. The model provides Medicare coverage for care coordination, caregiver education, and up to 72 hours of respite care per year for qualifying caregivers.
Who is eligible: Individuals with a suspected or confirmed dementia diagnosis enrolled in Traditional Medicare Parts A and B. This includes VA beneficiaries, dual eligible, memory care, and palliative care patients. Individuals enrolled in Medicare Advantage, on hospice, in a PACE program, or in long-term nursing home care are not eligible.
For home care agencies, GUIDE is both a care delivery opportunity and a growth channel. Agencies can participate as partner organizations, delivering GUIDE-aligned services through providers like PocketRN without needing to build the infrastructure from scratch.
Learn How Your Agency Can Participate in GUIDE
What Nevvon Provides for GUIDE Participants
Nevvon has built a dedicated DCW (Direct Care Worker) Training for GUIDE program that satisfies the caregiver education component required by the model. The short program is designed specifically for direct care workers serving GUIDE-aligned patients.
The training is delivered through Nevvon’s platform, so direct care workers complete it on their own schedule without being pulled from active caregiving.
DCW Training for GUIDE Curriculum
Module | What It Covers |
Introduction to the GUIDE Program for DCW | What the GUIDE program is, its three goals, who is eligible, difference between Medicare and Medicare Advantage |
Dementia Essentials | Defining dementia, how it progresses, balancing care, behavioral changes, practical strategies |
Effective Communication for People Living with Dementia | Active listening, body language, communication strategies by dementia stage |
Promoting Independence Through ADLs | Strategies for assisting with activities of daily living in beginning, middle, and late stages, medication monitoring |
Respite Care | What respite care is, different models, common challenges, practical strategies for caregivers and families |
Elder Abuse and Neglect | Recognizing abuse types, risk factors, financial exploitation, healthcare fraud, prevention strategies, reporting obligations |
Household and Public Safety | Home hazard identification, dementia-specific home safety, public outing planning, managing wandering and agitation in public |
Transportation and Weapons Safety | Safe transport of individuals with dementia, safe driving practices, reducing firearm risks in homes with dementia patients |
Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness | Cultural competence in healthcare, LGBTQIA+ community awareness, putting cultural sensitivity into practice |
CPR and First Aid Essentials | CPR basics, when and how to call emergency services, responding to life-threatening emergencies, consent and legal responsibilities |
IADLs (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) | Assisting with IADLs, policies and guidelines, handling client finances, medication assistance |
Final Assessment | Randomized questions with an 80% pass threshold |
The DCW Training for GUIDE is separate from Nevvon’s broader dementia caregiver training library, which includes Standard, Intermediate, Advanced (Alzheimer’s Association Recognized), 6-Hour, and Florida-specific modules. Agencies can use both programs together to provide comprehensive dementia education across their workforce.
Nevvon Family Caregiver Hub
The GUIDE Model requires participating organizations to provide education and support not just for professional caregivers, but for family caregivers as well. Nevvon’s Family Caregiver Hub is designed for this purpose.
The hub gives families and unpaid caregivers access to dementia education through a dedicated application, separate from the professional training platform. Content is delivered through short videos, podcasts, and support resources tailored to non-clinical caregivers. The focus is practical: how to manage behavioral changes, communicate effectively at different stages of dementia, handle safety risks at home, and take care of yourself while caregiving.
For agencies, this means you can extend GUIDE-aligned caregiver education to families without building your own curriculum. Families access the hub on their own device, on their own schedule.
Nevvon and PocketRN: A National GUIDE Partnership
In January 2025, Nevvon and PocketRN announced a national strategic partnership to support the CMS GUIDE Model. PocketRN is one of approximately 400 GUIDE Model participants and provides 24/7 virtual nursing support for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Under this partnership, Nevvon delivers the caregiver training component, including both the DCW Training for GUIDE and the Family Caregiver Hub. PocketRN provides the clinical support infrastructure: dementia-trained nurses, care navigation, comprehensive assessments, and 24/7 access. Together, the two platforms cover the GUIDE Model’s core requirements.
For home care agencies, this means you can offer GUIDE-aligned dementia care without adding clinical staff or new billing workflows. PocketRN serves as the GUIDE provider. Nevvon handles training. Your agency continues doing what it does best.
“The GUIDE model is a powerful step forward in bridging the gap between homecare and healthcare. Our partnership with Nevvon strengthens our ability to deliver equitable, innovative, and scalable solutions that meet the needs of caregivers and families across the country.”
— William Leiner, COO, PocketRN
