0:00:02 > 0:00:04There'd be a lot of people who would say that me
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and the Salvation Army are strange bedfellows
0:00:06 > 0:00:09and it is an unholy alliance.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11But at many different times throughout my life,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14our paths have crossed.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15Somehow, it works.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19So now, on the 150th anniversary year...
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Oh, here we go!
0:00:21 > 0:00:22..for the next three months,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I'll be working with the officers and volunteers...
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Vegetable soup.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- Fantastic!- Did you enjoy that? - Oh, it was wonderful!
0:00:29 > 0:00:33..on my very own Salvation Army training course.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Do you know? You're putting me off old age with all this.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38I'll be travelling up and down the country...
0:00:38 > 0:00:42If it hadn't have worked out for me, I could be in your position now.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Thank you. You're welcome.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Look at the size of him!
0:00:46 > 0:00:48..and even overseas.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49Too much.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52EXCITED SCREAMS
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Tonight...
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I'm going to start with once upon a time.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57..believe it or not, I end up giving a Bible class.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Go easy on her!
0:00:59 > 0:01:00You have to shout, love!
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I train to walk a mile in someone else's shoes...
0:01:03 > 0:01:05I'm spinning. I'm going, where am I going, lovey?
0:01:05 > 0:01:07People don't realise the sacrifices that you make.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10..and I face my biggest fear.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11I'm not scared of death at all,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15but I'm more scared of losing me marbles.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Come here, you.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19And if I make it through, they've promised me
0:01:19 > 0:01:24I can lead the Salvation Army band down London's busiest high street.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25It's fabulous.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33Over the last month,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37I've been getting stuck into my training with the Salvation Army.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39How fabulous.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Captain Jo has been teaching me what it takes.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44You've well and truly passed this test, Paul.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48I've spent time working with the homeless community in Bournemouth...
0:01:48 > 0:01:50You're welcome.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54..helped a man who once slept rough start his life again.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Seriously, I wish you all the luck in the world. Come here.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01And I've learned how to pass on life skills to young people in need.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03I've got to get on the bus like this!
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Although, I'll be honest, they showed me a thing or two.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Now I'm up for my next challenge.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I'm here now to do the next bit of me training.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Because if you want to be a soldier of God, you have to train,
0:02:18 > 0:02:19you just don't walk in.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21So I'm going through the whole rigmarole.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24So I don't know what they've got in store for me today,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26but I'm looking forward to it, to tell you the truth.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28It's all very interesting,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30especially for an old sinner like me.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Paul's spent time with lots of different people so far
0:02:32 > 0:02:34and we're a Christian church,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37so I want him to understand that vital part of who we are.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40So for this next bit of training, I want Paul to share a Bible
0:02:40 > 0:02:44story with some children who come here for an after-school club.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Regardless of faith, anybody who wants to be a volunteer
0:02:49 > 0:02:51needs to be able to share those values.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Our opinions clash on religion.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56They really do clash.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59I mean, they're committed Christians, I'm not,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01by any standard.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04I was brought up a Roman Catholic.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07We used to have a thing in the hall, like a holy water font.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10It was like a glass thing, with a Virgin Mary on it,
0:03:10 > 0:03:11that you poured holy water on.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13So while my Aunty Chrissie was on the phone,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16she used to flick her ash in it. Me mother used to go insane.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17Insane!
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Cos when you'd bless yourself, you go, "What's that?"
0:03:20 > 0:03:21You'd have all this ash all over you
0:03:21 > 0:03:25because Auntie Chris - she'd be putting a bet on - she would...
0:03:26 > 0:03:28- So this is the Holy Bible, I gather, yes?- Yep.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30I wanted to bring you up here just to show you,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34because we've talked a lot about the do-gooding stuff,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37all the charity work and the community work.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40But at the very, very heart of the Salvation Army is our faith.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42This is pretty old, isn't it? Look at it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- This was William Bramwell Booth's. - That was his original Bible?
0:03:45 > 0:03:46This was his Bible.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Methodist minister William Booth
0:03:50 > 0:03:52was the founder of the Salvation Army.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58It all started 150 years ago in London's East End,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01when his son Bramwell told him about all the people sleeping
0:04:01 > 0:04:03rough on the banks of the Thames.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07William simply told him, "Go and do something."
0:04:07 > 0:04:10And that simple message is the foundation of the Salvation Army.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16From the very beginning, they've demonstrated their Christian faith
0:04:16 > 0:04:19by taking to the streets and offering support to those in need.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25This is the cornerstone of who we are, so all the charity work...
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- This is like the textbook, this is your manual, basically?- Yeah.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31And there's no way we could introduce you, as a volunteer,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34without explaining why we believe what we believe
0:04:34 > 0:04:35and where it all comes from.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- There are bits in there that will make you go...- Nah.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- ..but you have to look at the big story.- The big picture.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44That idea about comfort and hope, and that this isn't over,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47that there's somewhere I'm going that's going to be even better than this was.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50See, I'd love to believe that there's an afterlife,
0:04:50 > 0:04:51I really would.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54But the cynical side of me says, "No, we're just like
0:04:54 > 0:04:56"any other organic material."
0:04:56 > 0:05:00- We just wither, go back to dust. Dust to dust.- Yeah.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03But I'd like to think that there's this magical,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07illuminated escalator, were you go up, you know?
0:05:07 > 0:05:08Bit of razzmatazz!
0:05:08 > 0:05:11And the clouds part, and St Peter's there, saying,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14"Oh, we've been expecting you. Right, let's go through the book.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19"Now, in 1971..." And go through your list of crimes and sins.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20And then you go in and see the boss.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24I feel the need for something spiritual,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27but I find myself getting tied up in knots
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and going down various avenues and thinking,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32"That doesn't make sense to me, that."
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Asking questions, being allowed to doubt, that's really important.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Something that we do constantly is we have to try
0:05:38 > 0:05:42and make this 2,000-year-old piece of work make sense to people.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44If we can bring it down and change the language
0:05:44 > 0:05:47into a language that children understand. And not just children,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50but older people who maybe need to hear a more poetic language,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53or somebody in a prison, who just wants to hear it straight.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57We teach the cadets here to be able to take a story from the Bible
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and communicate it to all different groups,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04so we're going to look at how you could do that with some children.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- Me?!- You.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- You are joking! - Because your background...
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- You want me to do a Bible class for children?- Yeah.- Really?- Really.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And what do you want me to tell them? The Good Samaritan?
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Well, I think this is a good story because it's about loving God
0:06:16 > 0:06:19and loving your neighbour. That's a timeless, Salvation Army classic.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22I've never done anything like that before. This is a first for me.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- Yeah.- So fingers crossed. Do you want me to turn it into a musical?
0:06:26 > 0:06:27Oh, now you're talking!
0:06:27 > 0:06:31You could have the poor guy who's been beaten up by the robbers sitting up and singing...
0:06:31 > 0:06:35# They always, always pick on me! #
0:06:35 > 0:06:36- Bring it.- How's that?- Done.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39# Welcome to Holiday Inn! # Hallelujah, sister!
0:06:42 > 0:06:45In the Salvation Army, we work with a whole spectrum of people -
0:06:45 > 0:06:47people of different colour, different creed,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50different religion, and none, and people of all age groups.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Let's see how he copes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53- Are you ready?- I am.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- We're going to go and meet some of these young people.- Wonderful.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58And you're going to tell them that story.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00I'm doing my Bible class to the children
0:07:00 > 0:07:02of all the cadets and tutors here,
0:07:02 > 0:07:03so there's no pressure then(!)
0:07:03 > 0:07:05This is going to be awesome. Are you ready?
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Do I believe in God? Oh, dear...
0:07:07 > 0:07:10OK, Paul, so I wanted to introduce...
0:07:10 > 0:07:12EXCITED SCREAMS
0:07:12 > 0:07:13Hello!
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Look at you lot!
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Put it this way, when I'm hanging
0:07:17 > 0:07:1960 foot on the end of a wire in panto,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22I always say, "Please, God, please, God,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25"don't let this rope snap and I'll never be bad again."
0:07:25 > 0:07:28So I'm going to need some volunteers now for this
0:07:28 > 0:07:30because we're going to act this out.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31Who we going to have?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34- I think Zoe would be really good, she's a very good actress.- OK, Zoe.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Now, who do you want to be, Zoe? - Man on the road.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39OK, who wants to be the bad robbers?
0:07:39 > 0:07:42We need three absolutely rotten...
0:07:42 > 0:07:45THEY SHOUT OVER EACH OTHER
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Do you want to be working in the inn with me, in the hotel?
0:07:48 > 0:07:49Do you fancy that?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52So you can be on reception and I'm the manager, you see?
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Now, I'm going to start with once upon a time
0:07:54 > 0:07:58because all good stories start with once upon a time, don't they?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00This merchant is going along, there here is.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Meanwhile, hiding behind the rock,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06terrifying, EVIL robbers,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09attack the poor merchant...
0:08:09 > 0:08:12That's it. Go easy on her!
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I'd like to think there was,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17but the image of the man with the big, white beard
0:08:17 > 0:08:19sat on a throne in the clouds, that's long vanished.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22And the poor man's lying there going, "Help me."
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Say it, go on, say your line. That's it, bit louder.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- They can't hear you in the cheap seats.- Help me!- That's it.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28LAUGHTER
0:08:28 > 0:08:32So what he did, this kind man, helped the merchant up
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and he took the merchant down to the nearest inn,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37which was basically a hotel.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Now you shout, I'm outside, shout, "Mr O'Grady!
0:08:40 > 0:08:42"You're wanted in reception."
0:08:42 > 0:08:43- You're wanted.- Good boy.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46And this kind Samaritan,
0:08:46 > 0:08:51he said, "Would you please look after this man for me?"
0:08:51 > 0:08:54So what do you think the moral of this story is?
0:08:54 > 0:08:56- Always help people.- That's right.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00It doesn't matter if they're a different culture from you.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03That's right, exactly. And that's the story of the Good Samaritan.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09It's been an absolute pleasure
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and we'll see each other very soon, yeah?
0:09:12 > 0:09:13But it seems there's no escaping!
0:09:13 > 0:09:15You were fabulous as a robber.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Yeah. And you, you were all good.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19You were brilliant!
0:09:22 > 0:09:25I feel like Maria von Trapp!
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Phew, I'm too old for kids!
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Well, that was a tough crowd, I'll tell you,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and I've worked some tough houses in my time.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36No, seriously, they were a joy. They were an absolute joy.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And I'm amazed because I never thought I'd see the day where
0:09:39 > 0:09:43I'd be doing a Bible reading to children, but there you go.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48And I think it's very relevant, that tale, the Good Samaritan, for today,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51with what's going on in Syria and around the world.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53And maybe it wouldn't do any of us
0:09:53 > 0:09:56any harm to show a bit of tolerance and a bit of kindness
0:09:56 > 0:09:59to people of different religions, different faiths.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03I'm learning quite a lot really, as I'm going along, doing all this.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Quite a lot indeed.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Humility, mainly,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09is something I've learned.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Of course, I'm very humble.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Some of the training exercises that we do here are based on the Bible
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and I really want Paul to understand,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17with the next bit of training,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19what it might feel like to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21I'm sending Paul to Glasgow
0:10:21 > 0:10:25to meet with an older person who's living with severe ill health.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28And there's a module, a training module that we're going to use,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30to help him understand what it might feel like to be her.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34And although Paul is only young at heart, older people that
0:10:34 > 0:10:38work in our older people services know the value of empathy.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Now, why have I got a crash helmet? I'm not going up a ladder, am I?
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Or decorating or cleaning your gutters?
0:10:43 > 0:10:45We need to give you a bit of training to experience what
0:10:45 > 0:10:47it might feel like to be an older person.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Oh, I know what that feels like, don't you worry!
0:10:51 > 0:10:54This is the age simulation system.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57It gives you an idea about what it might feel like to be restricted in your movement.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- So how old are we talking here? - 75-plus.- Right, OK.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Back when the Salvation Army was first started,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09life expectancy was just 40.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Hello, my darling!
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Now, on average, we live to over 80.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19And, amazingly, there are more people in the UK aged 60
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and above then there are under 18.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24The Sally Army are one of the biggest care providers
0:11:24 > 0:11:26for the elderly in this country.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32So, first of all, we have this very attractive suit.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Are these radioactive pensioners that we're dealing with?
0:11:38 > 0:11:40I'm not that sure if putting on a boiler suit
0:11:40 > 0:11:44and a hard hat is going to make me feel like a 75-year-old.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46We do this with the cadets because,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48when they go to old people's homes,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51or when they organise stuff in their centres,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54we want them to understand something from someone else's perspective
0:11:54 > 0:11:57because it's really easy for us to judge someone's life
0:11:57 > 0:11:59- when we've never actually lived it. - Exactly.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01So we do that across the board,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03to try and understand somebody else's life.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06So they would dress up in this suit.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10But it does actually make you feel a bit kind of...uncomfortable?
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- No, not really. - Well, we'll fix that soon enough.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17These have been tinted yellow because, when people get older,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- there's a natural yellowing of the vision.- Is there?- Yeah.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22They feel a bit heavier round the shoulders.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24These restrict what you can hear...
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- MUFFLED:- ..which could make the next five minutes REALLY INTERESTING!
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- You have to shout, love!- I'll have to shout now!- I can't hear a word!
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Yes, I'm going to shout the rest of it!
0:12:32 > 0:12:33What I want to do,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36is I want you to know what it feels like to have curvature of the spine.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40It doesn't happen to everybody, but so many people face it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43So I'm going to anchor you, from one up there.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Has it got hooks in this hat or something?
0:12:45 > 0:12:47There we go.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52- Can you feel a bit of a tension there?- Yeah.- Right.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54- Does that feel all right?- Yep.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55Oh, ping!
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Do you know what? I'm going to kill somebody when I walk past them,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00aren't I? This is going to fly off.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02How does that feel?
0:13:02 > 0:13:03Yeah, it just feels odd.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Let's put your gloves on.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09When people get older,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12very often you feel like you can't pick up things in the same way.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14You know, you're putting me off old age with all this.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17This is the reality we want to try and get across to people.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Now, we're going to somehow get these on your shoes.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22It will make you feel quite unsteady, having slippy feet.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25I know this sounds silly, but I feel quite delicate in all this.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Yeah, that's a good word to use.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29You know, a bit like...
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- Fancy a bit of a walk? - Yeah, go on then.- Come on then.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33- Where shall we go? - Is there anybody out there?
0:13:33 > 0:13:36There might be a few people that might see you.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42- We'll keep going round? - See, I'm doing all this.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43Because you don't know where I am!
0:13:43 > 0:13:47I'm spinning, going, "Where am I going, lovey? This way?"
0:13:47 > 0:13:50MUFFLED ENVIRONMENT SOUNDS
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Over 50 cadets are studying here at the moment
0:13:53 > 0:13:56and practical exercises like this are key to their training.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01- We'll go this way.- Don't ask!
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I'm an elderly person.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- They're looking at us, laughing. - They're all staring at you...
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I'm elderly, don't be laughing at me! Thank you very much.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Evil. Dragging me round, dressed up like this, with the other cadets
0:14:14 > 0:14:15and teachers staring and laughing at me -
0:14:15 > 0:14:18that doesn't feel very Christian.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22I'm very impressed with the way you're coping with this.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25It's funny, I'm tilting to the side now. I think I'm having a stroke.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30They're all looking at me like I'm insane.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32They've all had to do this, remember.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39So, the challenge might be the stairs.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Now this would be very daunting for an elderly person.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Shall I go ahead of you, or should I walk behind you?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49You better had, in case I fall. You know what I'm like.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51I've already had two hip replacements,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53I'm not having another one.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Does it feel heavy at all? Does it feel more laboured?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59I'll tell you what it is, Jo, it's this. It pulls you down.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03- I'm walking like an old person. - That's exactly it.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07As Betty Davis said, "Old age is no place for sissies."
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- And it's very true, it really is.- Yeah.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11And what we can't show you in this suit
0:15:11 > 0:15:14is all the changes that happen within someone's mind.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17There's no way we can communicate to you what it feels like to
0:15:17 > 0:15:21lose memory, or what it feels like to not recognise somebody any more,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and that's one of the major things that you're going to see
0:15:23 > 0:15:25when you go to the elderly care homes.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And you're going to be able to make connections with people whose
0:15:28 > 0:15:31- long-term, and sometimes short-term, memory is gone.- Oh, please...
0:15:31 > 0:15:34But that's one of the things that we do. And we can offer hope there.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37It feels overwhelming, but it's not hopeless.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- Have you had enough?- I have had enough.- We'll get you back to Paul then.- OK then.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- Come on, let's go and take it off. - Look, I'm doing me walk.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47I have to say that wearing that lot was very unpleasant
0:15:47 > 0:15:49and I'm really glad to get it off.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54After a day's training, I'm being sent to Glasgow.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I'll be working with the Eva Burrows Day Care Centre,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00who offer companionship and activities
0:16:00 > 0:16:02for 20 pensioners every day.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Most of whom suffer from dementia,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07one of the fastest-growing diseases in the UK.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- Good morning, how are you? - Fine, thank you!
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Come on, Babyface, let's get you in!
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Around 225,000 of us will develop dementia this year.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19That's one every three minutes.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22# You have the cutest little Babyface... #
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Keep me on me feet, I'll tell you!
0:16:26 > 0:16:27Get yourself in.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29How are you this morning, Nancy?
0:16:29 > 0:16:31- Not bad at all.- Oh, good, good.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36- I hope your singing voice is good this morning.- Always is.- Yes!
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- This is Georgie.- Hello, Georgie, lovely to meet you.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Come on, love, let's get you in.
0:16:47 > 0:16:5081-year-old Georgie's dementia is so advanced
0:16:50 > 0:16:53that she can no longer live alone and is looked after
0:16:53 > 0:16:57by daughter-in-law Marie, with help from granddaughter Claire.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Gran, do you know it's Sophie and Georgia?
0:17:03 > 0:17:05And who am I?
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- Oh, I don't know what's what!- No!
0:17:08 > 0:17:09Claire.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- Hmm?- She's Claire.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15I'm Claire.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- Oh, you're Claire, aye.- Uh-huh!
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Georgie has spent her whole life in Glasgow.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24She used to work in a hat factory, was married for 35 years,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26and had two children,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29but now dementia has taken many of her life memories away.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33And for me, that's a terrifying thought.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I'm more scared of old age than death. I'm not scared of death at all.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Been there twice, so I'm not bothered.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42But I'm more scared of old age and of losing me marbles.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Georgie visits four times a week to give her family a break.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53The aim of our centre is to make people happy,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56to make people laugh, to enjoy life as much as they can.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58We've got to make people's journey with dementia
0:17:58 > 0:18:00as fulfilling as it possibly can be.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Just slither into the back. There you go, Jessie.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Sandra tells me that the best way to communicate with them
0:18:08 > 0:18:10is to talk about the past.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Oh, my lord, look at this!
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Listen, I remember things like this!
0:18:14 > 0:18:17What are you doing, trying to put years on me?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Here's me mother's china service.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- And all the old tins as well. - That's right, aye.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25We live in the past here.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29They can't remember what happened ten minutes ago, an hour ago,
0:18:29 > 0:18:30so we try and bring out the past.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35And if they can communicate about the past, that's what we do.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Everything in this room is designed to trigger memories
0:18:37 > 0:18:39and fire up the senses,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41even your sense of smell.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- Have a wee whiff at that, Paul. - OK, it's not cat wee, is it?
0:18:44 > 0:18:45No, you're all right.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Oh! Sorry.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48It's like lavender.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Whenever I smell lavender, I always think of old ladies' drawers
0:18:51 > 0:18:53because... No! Because they'd make...
0:18:53 > 0:18:57- No, because they used to make lavender bags and put it in with their knickers.- That's right.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00I'll need to mind and get my lavender out of the drawers tonight, Paul.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- Do you have singsongs?- Aye, we have singsongs every day, Paul,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05because people relate to music.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07- And what do they sing, is it old songs?- Oh, yes.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09I can give them a good rousing chorus of...
0:19:09 > 0:19:11# I belong to Glasgow
0:19:11 > 0:19:15# Dear old Glasgow town. #
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Normally I have to have a drink in me before I get up and sing.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20I'll give you a can of cola, we're laughing.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Before I spend time with Georgie,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Sandra introduces me to some of the early-stage sufferers,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28like 75-year-old Jessie.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Hello, how are you? Nice to see you all. What are you knitting?
0:19:34 > 0:19:38- Squares for the cat and dog home. - Oh, good on you.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Florence was a Land Girl.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Oh, in the Army? In the war?
0:19:42 > 0:19:45The uniforms were gorgeous. Your tight white blouse and your tie.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- He must have thought, wow, what's this?!- They were OK, the uniforms.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50There's our John.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54- John, you've cycled all over the world, nearly, haven't you, John? - Yes.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- Can I ask you, John, how old are you?- I'm 94.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Now this man is the perfect example of why
0:20:00 > 0:20:03we should cycle everywhere, really!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Just got to see past dementia.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09That's all part of our job. There are always ways of communicating
0:20:09 > 0:20:11and you always can get through to somebody.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14You've just got to go along with them and make them feel
0:20:14 > 0:20:16- something different today, you know? - Exactly.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- You're special.- Yeah.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22It's a lot easier to talk with sufferers
0:20:22 > 0:20:25in the early stages of dementia.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29The biggest challenge here is trying to communicate with someone,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31like Georgie, in the advanced stages.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34- We'll go through and have a wee chat, will we?- OK.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- Hi, Anne.- There you go. - Here we are.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44- Georgie.- Hello, we met when you were getting off the coach, Georgie.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48- Did you enjoy your lunch?- What? - Did you enjoy your lunch?
0:20:49 > 0:20:53To make it even harder, Georgie's losing her hearing,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56so Sandra's told me to raise my voice so she can hear me.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- Did you enjoy lunch?- Aye.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03There we go. This gentleman's come down to have a wee word with you.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07- I thought that.- You thought that?
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- I'm going to help you to wash up. - What?
0:21:09 > 0:21:11I'm going to help you wash the dishes!
0:21:11 > 0:21:14LAUGHTER
0:21:14 > 0:21:16I think they heard that in Bonnyrigg!
0:21:16 > 0:21:18I think they heard that in Liverpool.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- I had, actually.- Did you?
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- She knows she's washing the dishes. - I'm drying, you're washing!
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Yeah? I'm going to dry, you wash.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Is that OK?
0:21:32 > 0:21:34I'm getting on me own nerves here!
0:21:36 > 0:21:37I know.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Georgie, this gentleman's going to help you do the dishes.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42Is that OK?
0:21:43 > 0:21:45She's not bothered.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47She thinks, if he's daft enough to do it, then let him.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Right, come on, you, through with me.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54I'll get the kitchen prepared. OK?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- All right.- Right, Georgie. - See you in a minute, Georgie.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01That was harder than I expected.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05It's all the others roaring laughing made me laugh, up the back.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06Ugh.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Communication is so important here
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and I think I failed miserably then.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Georgie is very content doing the washing up,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and I'm going to join her and see if I can do better this time.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- All right, Paul, you're coming to give us a wee hand?- I am.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27I believe you need a drier-upper.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28There you go. There you go.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30I'm going to dry up, Georgie.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- You're a big help, Georgie, around here.- Thanks very much.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38She's speed of lightning here, washing these dishes.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42They got you working, Georgie, haven't they?
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- They've got you working?- Eh?
0:22:44 > 0:22:45That's it, now, Georgie.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48You're worth your weight in gold, Georgie, aren't you?
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Och, I don't know what's what.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- There's some there.- What about these ones?- I'm drying them.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57That's it, Georgie, we're done now.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01You all cleaned up, Georgie?
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Ready for the next lot.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Thank you very much.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09It might not seem like much, but Georgie is starting to communicate.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13The simple act of doing something familiar is working miracles.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- Oh, we're in a dancing mood now. - Oh, Georgie's singing.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Give us a song, Georgie.
0:23:18 > 0:23:25# Ave Maria
0:23:25 > 0:23:30# Oh, my love, my love
0:23:30 > 0:23:34# Now and forever. #
0:23:35 > 0:23:37- Cut! - APPLAUSE
0:23:37 > 0:23:41- Well done, Georgie! - Wahey, Georgie! Wahey, Georgie!
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Clean plates and a song,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and suddenly all is right in the world again.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47For now, anyway.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51It's an emotional roller-coaster,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53dealing with someone with advanced dementia.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57I can't imagine what it's like living with it 24 hours a day.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00She's a real character. She's in there singing her heart out now.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02- She's giving it the full Ave Maria. - She loves singing.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05With all the hand actions, the whole thing.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07But how are you coping with her?
0:24:07 > 0:24:11- Because she's living with you now? - Yeah, she's does stay with us.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12- It's good and it's bad.- Yeah.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14We used to have a good time, didn't we?
0:24:14 > 0:24:17We used to able to show her pictures and stuff, and say, "Who's that?"
0:24:17 > 0:24:20She doesn't recognise pictures of my grandad.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22That's quite upsetting.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Have you noticed she's getting progressively worse
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- or anything like that? - She no longer recognises who I am.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29- You're joking! Really?- No.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- That must be heart-breaking for you. - It is.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35It's hard, but I'm going to make sure I keep that relationship
0:24:35 > 0:24:37with her because she's my gran.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I go and see her nearly every day
0:24:40 > 0:24:42and she doesn't know who I am.
0:24:42 > 0:24:48She just thinks I'm a carer... she doesn't know any more.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- And that's hard to comes to terms with.- It's really, really difficult.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It is. Listen, there's nothing harder
0:24:54 > 0:24:57than to see your loved ones who, this time last year,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00you could sit down with and have a sensible conversation.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04And now, you're just making sure they get through the day safely.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Have you found this place really useful?
0:25:07 > 0:25:09I don't know where we'd be without it.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Really. Honestly.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13It gives us such a break.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16People don't realise, I think, the sacrifices that you make in your own
0:25:16 > 0:25:20life when you're caring for somebody with Alzheimer's and dementia.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23So keep your chin up, you're doing marvellous.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Seriously, you really are.
0:25:25 > 0:25:26Come here, you.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It's heart-breaking when somebody who's been your parent
0:25:30 > 0:25:32suddenly says, "Who are you?"
0:25:32 > 0:25:34That must be the worst thing ever.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Ta-ra, sweetheart. See you around.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40I'll be honest with you, it terrifies me.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41But I'd sooner have dementia than a stroke.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Not that I'm being offered either, but if I was,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47because you can drift off then, and go back into the past,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49where you were probably happy.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52MUSIC: The Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II
0:25:57 > 0:25:58I'll wait until I'm asked.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Anyone want a dance?
0:26:03 > 0:26:04Not happening.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05Are we having a dance?
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- Come on, love.- Yes, thank you, my darling.- Right, we ready?
0:26:10 > 0:26:14- I'm not the best waltzer in the world.- Neither am I.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- We're well-suited then, me and you.- Yes.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Isn't this lovely? Bit of Jonathan Strauss.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24It wasn't Jonathan, it was Johann Strauss.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26It's Johann Strauss?
0:26:26 > 0:26:27Oh, yes, it is, you're right!
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Thank you for your dance, madame.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Nice way to spend an afternoon, isn't it?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38- With a fine gentleman in my arms. - Exactly.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- A man who's travelled the world. - There you go, John.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Has he got a few bob? You're laughing if he has. Laughing.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Any of you old girls got a load of money saved away?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51You're looking to spend on a nice toy boy?
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I tell you what, these lot have taught me a thing or two today.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I think he's excelled himself today, I think he was wonderful.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07I would employ him any time.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Are we having a song, Georgie?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12ALL SING
0:27:15 > 0:27:17And they're such lovely people.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19We don't look after the elderly in this country,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22we don't treat them with enough respect.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25They're seen as doddery old people, going down the street with a Zimmer frame.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28They could've been a spy in the war, you don't know what they've done.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32They could've had remarkable lives and we tend to dismiss them,
0:27:32 > 0:27:33and that is wrong.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35So let's get that sorted out, eh?
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Because I'm getting that way.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Ahem. Right, I'm off. I'll see you, ta-ra!
0:27:44 > 0:27:45Taxi!
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Next time, I learn how the Salvation Army are helping
0:27:49 > 0:27:52hard-working people who can't afford to feed their kids.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Do you skimp meals so the kids eat?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- Yeah.- You can't do that.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- No, I know. - You've got to look after yourself.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03I put some tough questions to the big boss.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Because I know so many men and women who are gay and lesbian.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08They'd be the most wonderful officers.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09And I travel right across Europe
0:28:09 > 0:28:13to witness the refugee crisis first-hand.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Just go, just go, leave these people alone.