VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A new Medicare program is giving local dementia patients and their caregivers more affordable options for in-home support and respite care.

The initiative, known as GUIDE, short for "Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience", launched July 1 and is now available to families across Virginia.

“We’re very happy that Medicare has decided to step up and run this program,” said Daniel Tifft, president of Right at Home Virginia Beach. This home care company can now provide up to 72 hours of temporary relief care at no cost through GUIDE.

“What we can do is, when a family member needs some assistance or if the dementia patient needs to go to a doctor’s appointment, needs some extra support, we can come in and provide that support free of charge,” Tifft said.

Beyond respi

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