0:00:10 > 0:00:12There are over 750,000 people
0:00:12 > 0:00:16with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia in the UK.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Most of them are over 65.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24You get this real sense of helplessness and isolation
0:00:24 > 0:00:29when you just have to sit there and watch someone you really care about
0:00:29 > 0:00:32declining, day after day.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Both my mum and dad suffered from dementia
0:00:35 > 0:00:39which is a horrible disease that causes extreme memory loss,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42so that simple acts, like making a cup of tea,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44or washing yourself,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47or even remembering the name of someone
0:00:47 > 0:00:51that you've known for the last 60 years becomes impossible for you.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55And I had to watch that decline in my mum and dad
0:00:55 > 0:01:00right through to the bitter end.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I've come to see a very good friend of mine.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Sir Terry Pratchett is a national treasure.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16He's also one of the 800,000 people in the UK
0:01:16 > 0:01:19currently living with dementia.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24How did you first realise that you had some kind of dementia?
0:01:24 > 0:01:28I was doing an Italian tour.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32When I arrived, I had a button done up wrong
0:01:32 > 0:01:35on my shirt and I came home
0:01:35 > 0:01:40and I thought, "I don't know what's going on here."
0:01:40 > 0:01:43It was little things like that all the time,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46so, I went to see my GP,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50she gave me a little test which, frankly,
0:01:50 > 0:01:55a slightly crippled tortoise could actually manage to go through.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Did you go away from the doctor thinking, "It's fine, there's nothing wrong with me"?
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Well, yes, and so did she,
0:02:01 > 0:02:06and then after a while I thought, "There's got to be more to this."
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Were you very frightened?
0:02:09 > 0:02:14My typing didn't seem to be right and nor did my eyesight
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and THAT worried me.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Although he didn't know it at the time,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Sir Terry had a rare form of dementia.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Being diagnosed with dementia can, of course, feel really traumatic
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and not just for the person who's got the disease.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34I remember when I was confronted by issues surrounding my mum and dad,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38feeling really isolated and, basically, fairly useless.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40And that is where RICE,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43a research institute for the care of older people comes in.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48It's a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life
0:02:48 > 0:02:52for those with dementia and their families and carers.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Do you know where that is on the map, David?
0:02:59 > 0:03:04- Have you got some hearing aids? - I've got one.
0:03:04 > 0:03:0925 years ago, RICE started one of the first memory clinics in the UK.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11What's this called?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17It's something you sleep in.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21- A bed.- They provide specialist services for people with dementia
0:03:21 > 0:03:24which are individually tailored programmes
0:03:24 > 0:03:28to assess, diagnose and treat people with memory problems.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31And there are dedicated carers' courses
0:03:31 > 0:03:35for the family and friends of those affected by dementia.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Caring for someone with this harrowing condition
0:03:40 > 0:03:43is all too familiar for Ingrid Aspell.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48I walked into the church feeling happy,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52relaxed and enjoying every minute of it.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57I arrived at the altar, Terry stepped forward and kissed me
0:03:57 > 0:04:01to greet me and I'll never forget that moment.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Look, this is a picture of the day we got married
0:04:04 > 0:04:06and this is me arriving at the church with Ian.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- There it is, still there now.- No.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- I've never taken it off.- No, no.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17Now, of course, he's still Terry, but he IS a very different person.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21- Can you see down there, Terry, there's two magpies?- You what?
0:04:21 > 0:04:26In 2007, Terry Aspell was diagnosed with Alzhemier's disease.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27Two magpies, just down there.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32- I don't know what you're talking about. - Magpies, black-and-white birds.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35I became Terry's full-time carer,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39which is not an easy thing to handle,
0:04:39 > 0:04:45because you become more of a mother than a wife.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50It is a loneliness that you cannot really describe,
0:04:50 > 0:04:57because you are totally responsible for somebody who is desperately ill.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Fortunately for Ingrid, RICE were there to help.
0:05:04 > 0:05:05Hello, Mrs Glyn.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Professor Jones is the director of RICE's memory clinic
0:05:09 > 0:05:12and an international expert in treating dementia.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15There are about 50 different types of dementia.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18The one that most people are aware of is Alzheimer's disease,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20which causes about two-thirds of the cases.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23What we do is a careful assessment of memory,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25a careful assessment of thinking processes,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30checking for all sorts of different potential medical issues.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33After patients have been diagnosed, RICE treats them.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38One dynamic technique is cognitive stimulation therapy.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Does anyone know who this is?
0:05:42 > 0:05:43It's meant to be fun,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46it's meant to encourage the people with dementia to take part.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- William.- Prince William, yes.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- Thank you. - I thought that's who it was.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56They become much more confident, they start to take part in the group
0:05:56 > 0:05:59in a much bigger way than perhaps when they started.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02But RICE doesn't just treat patients,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04it conducts cutting-edge research.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06They've helped to develop four of the drugs
0:06:06 > 0:06:10currently being used to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13The vitally important research that RICE carries out
0:06:13 > 0:06:15helps millions of people with dementia
0:06:15 > 0:06:17have a better quality of life,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20not just in the UK, but worldwide.
0:06:20 > 0:06:26In 2008, Sir Terry Pratchett began attending the RICE memory clinic...
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- Come in.- ... under the guidance of Professor Jones.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32It was known that we had a particular interest
0:06:32 > 0:06:33in posterior cortical atrophy,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36which is the type of dementia that he has.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40RICE's experience of rare forms of dementia
0:06:40 > 0:06:42meant they were able to treat Sir Terry.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46At that point, I couldn't get any prescriptions for the medications
0:06:46 > 0:06:51that were available and do help, but I was able to get them from Roy.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I don't know what I would have done without RICE, I really do not.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58And RICE's carers' courses have taught Ingrid Aspell
0:06:58 > 0:07:00how to look after her husband, Terry,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03just when he needs that help most.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08They gave me the confidence in myself
0:07:08 > 0:07:13and I can only ever say my gratitude to RICE
0:07:13 > 0:07:18and to Professor Jones will be with me for the rest of my life.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Yeah. Is that nice?
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Over the years, RICE has seen more than 10,000 people
0:07:28 > 0:07:31with memory problems and dementia.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34But with the number of people with dementia in the UK
0:07:34 > 0:07:36increasing every year,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39the charity desperately needs your help.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41This is where you can make a real difference.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46Please go to the website, bbc.co.uk/lifeline
0:07:46 > 0:07:48where you can make a donation.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53If you don't have access to the internet, then call 0800 011 011.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57And if you can't get through, please keep trying.
0:07:57 > 0:08:03You can also donate £10 by texting 'Give' to 70121.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Texts cost £10 plus your standard network charge
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and the whole £10 goes to RICE.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15Full terms and conditions can be found at bbc.co.uk/lifeline.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Telephone calls are free from most landlines.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Some networks and mobile operators will charge for these calls.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Or if you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29please make your cheque payable to RICE and send it to Freepost,
0:08:29 > 0:08:34BBC Lifeline Appeal, writing RICE on the back of the envelope.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Remember, if you're a UK taxpayer,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39the charity can collect gift aid on your donation
0:08:39 > 0:08:41worth another 25%.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Just send in a note to say you want your donation
0:08:44 > 0:08:47to be subject to gift aid and include the date,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49your full name and address.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50Thank you.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.