Free dementia care service for traditional Medicare beneficiaries available from Rippl and the Alzheimer’s Association®
As part of National Family Caregivers Month, Rippl and the Alzheimer’s Association are hard at work raising awareness of a new FREE dementia care program for people living with dementia with Traditional Medicare (Parts A & B) and their caregivers. Steve McCarron from KOMO TV in Seattle sat down with Rippl cofounder and CEO Kris Engskov in the KUNS Arc Lounge to talk about caregivers, dementia care, and this new program. Watch the video or read the full transcript below.
Tyrah Majors
November is National Caregivers Month, an important time to recognize and honor family caregivers. Recently, the Alzheimer’s Association partnered with Seattle-based Rippl Care to provide dementia care services, including on-demand support. And the best part, the program is free to Part A and B Medicare holders. Steve is in the Arc Lounge this morning with Rippl CEO Kris Engskov, good morning to you both.
Steve McCarron
Good morning, and Kris, thank you so much for coming in to sort of talk about this opportunity. I think what is kind of unique with it is that both the patient and the caregiver can get benefits, care, and support. Expand on how that works and what this means for those groups.
Kris Engskov
Yeah, well, Medicare has introduced this new program that just started in July, and it allows someone with dementia and their caregiver to get really comprehensive wraparound support – connecting with that patient and that caregiver, giving them a specialized care team to do everything, full spectrum of care, from clinical and diagnosis to therapy help and access to local resources, and maybe most importantly, access to a personalized care navigator who really is there to help them, educate them on the disease, help them understand how to navigate it, help them how to find resources that can help them through the disease as it continues on.
Steve McCarron
Why is that component of it so important? I imagine just because there’s so many questions that people have when they’re trying to navigate through something like that, that that certainly can help in that situation, put them at ease, maybe?
Kris Engskov
Well, as we all know, there’s no cure for dementia today, and specifically Alzheimer’s. And I think people are just, they’re confused because there’s not good care out there. This is the first time we’re really making a really big step forward to try to give people the wraparound care they need to navigate the disease. It’s really hard to believe, given the number of people who are challenged by this, but it really hasn’t, it didn’t exist before now. And we’re building it.
Steve McCarron
I would imagine that this might have an impact on some underserved areas, too.
Kris Engskov
It will. And I think that’s what we’re most proud of. Unfortunately, dementia really targets, particularly minority communities, certainly people with less resources. And this is an opportunity to really, again, through Medicare, bring them wraparound service no matter what your circumstances are.
Steve McCarron
Why is the partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association so important for people in need of care, would you say?
Kris Engskov
Well, we love the Alzheimer’s Association. We have partnered with them to do this work as part of this Medicare program. You know, the Alzheimer’s Association is the O.G. of dementia care. There’s nobody better. They’ve been doing this for many, many years. They’re the best in the business. They recognized there was a big opportunity to help build this network of care. And they partnered with us to do it here in the state of Washington. And we’re gonna be able to do some things that have never been done before. And I really credit them with their vision, because we’re making a big investment together. And this is going to make a big difference in our state. It’s going to impact a lot of folks.
Steve McCarron
Absolutely. Put me in that circumstance of somebody who’s maybe diagnosed with dementia for the first time or maybe they’re caring for somebody who just got that diagnosis. Talk about some of the first steps and maybe some of the first questions that you should ask or advocate for just to make sure that you’re getting good care in that circumstance.
Kris Engskov
It’s tough. It is very tough. I think the first thing has got to be around your primary care doctor. Because that’s where, in many instances, you do get a diagnosis. We can also do that diagnosis for you if that’s something you need. But yes, what happens is you get a diagnosis and then today, what’s traditionally happened is we send people out into this black hole where they just have to navigate things for themselves. Oftentimes, they would call the Alzheimer’s Association. And there just weren’t lots of resources, so the Association kind of picked that up. Today, this is much more comprehensive. And to answer your question, you get your diagnosis, and then we can, the next day, really wrap around you with experts to help you and your family and your caregiver particularly really understand, okay, what do we do now? How does the disease progress? What kinds of resources are available at different times? And just make sure you have what you need when you need it. Unfortunately, and I’m sure you know this, primary care docs are not available on demand, as we know.
Steve McCarron
They’re not. I know.
Kris Engskov
They’re hard to access sometimes, and we can be available 24-7 whenever you need us. And, you know, dementia is really one of those diseases that takes a front seat almost no matter what you’re dealing with. It is a chronic disease that sort of becomes the most important thing in your life when you’re dealing with a diagnosis, and we need to wrap around these families and take care of them. It can be overwhelming.
Steve McCarron
What message would you have for the caregivers, which are an important part of the process?
Kris Engskov
Well, that’s my favorite question because, this is one of the most important things that’s happened in a very long time – this recognition that the way to get great care to people with dementia is to also pull in that caregiver. You know, in the state of Washington, there are 250,000 people who are providing care every day to somebody with dementia. And, these are folks who have jobs, they’ve got kids, they’ve got other things they’re doing. Obviously, the sandwich generation is a real consideration here. And by recognizing the caregiver is fundamental to being successful and keeping folks at home and out of the hospital and other places where they don’t need to be with this disease, you’ve got to take care of the caregiver. And we’re really proud of that. That’s what we’re doing. We actually talk a lot about the caregiver is as much our patient as the actual patient. And that is what’s going to allow us to be successful. And that’s what Medicare is paying for for the very first time.
Steve McCarron
Is there a good resource that you can offer just through Ripple Care’s services that people can go to for more info?
Kris Engskov
Well, I would say between the Alzheimer’s Association and Rippl, we are the sort of go-to for resources in the state. So we are connected to lots of local partners, whether it’s food or transportation or medical care, we can connect you with those resources too, as well as any of your dementia needs.
Steve McCarron
Perfect. My mom was a caregiver for quite some time before retiring a couple of years ago, so they are certainly an important part of the process and much appreciated. Yes. Kris, thanks for your time this morning.
Kris Engskov
Thank you.
