There are over 850,000 people in the UK struggling with dementia – a brain disorder that causes sufferers memory loss and confusion.
In this frank documentary, Angela Rippon investigates the disorder to find out what exactly it is, who it’s affecting and what’s being done about it.
It’s a personal topic for Rippon, whose mother was lost to Alzheimers.
As well as undergoing a series of brain tests and scans to see what her own future might hold, Rippon learns about the ways dementia is being tackled.
It’s not just a case of medical breakthroughs – even something as simple as learning a new language is now thought to be an effective means of battling the degenerative disorder.
There are some heartbreaking cases explored in the episode, too – especially a family who suffer from early-onset Alzheimers.
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Rippon meets Chris Graham, whose brother Tony is now bedridden despite only being in his 40s. The brothers’ father died of Alzheimers at the age of just 42. Chris already knows that he will get Alzheimers, and can feel himself beginning to experience the symptoms.
But with new experiments, more information, and more awareness, dementia is something that the world is increasingly becoming more conscious of – and the documentary ultimately sends a hopeful message of the search for a cure.
BBC One, 9pm
