FROM a coldly delivered diagnosis, through difficult conversations and often frightening times, Henry and Anne Rankin have refused to let dementia stop them in their tracks.

Now this inspirational husband and wife, who have worked tirelessly to change attitudes and give fellow sufferers hope, will receive a prestigious honour today.

The couple, of Stamperland on the south side of the city, are the subjects of the Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice’s first ever Annual Celebration Lecture.

It will be delivered by former Evening Times Scotswoman of the Year finalist and ASCPP director Professor Debbie Tolson of University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in Paisley today.

Professor Tolson, who is also Assistant Dean (Research and Enterprise) of the University’s School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, will pay tribute to Henry and Anne and their “outstanding contribution to dementia education.”

Professor Tolson said: “To advance dementia care we need to listen carefully to the both the loud and quiet voices.

“Henry and Anne have spoken many times about their experiences; they have challenged, inspired, and sometimes troubled, those who are listening.”

She added: “They are truly inspirational individuals. It is great to be able to recognise their remarkable contribution and to thank them for the inspiration and motivation they afford each and every one of us as we endeavour to ensure no one faces dementia alone.”

Henry was in his mid-fifties when he was diagnosed with vascular dementia. He had just retired from the police force, but had become extremely forgetful. Persuaded to finally see a doctor, he was unprepared for the shock that followed.

“I was told in a horrible way – simply that I had vascular dementia, which I’d never heard of, that it had no cure, and that I should come back and see the doctor in six months,” he recalls.

“All I heard was that I had something that couldn’t be cured. I walked out of the doctor’s office, straight past my wife and daughter sitting in the waiting room, right out of the building into the middle of the road and burst into tears. I thought I was going to die.”

Henry, 64, adds: “For the next six weeks, I wouldn’t go out. I was scared I would meet someone and not know who they were.

“Eventually, Anne made me go out, and we walked down to the shop to get a newspaper.”

Anne, 62, says: “On the way we met an old friend of Henry’s, who, after chatting for a moment or two, turned to me and said – ‘and how is Henry today?’ I couldn’t believe it. I just said – ‘why don’t you ask HIM? He’s standing right there.’ We just walked away.”

However awful those first few months were, Henry and Anne believe it was these initial, unsettling experiences, that drove them to become activists and educators about the disease.

“It made us realise there was such a lot wrong with how people with dementia are treated,” explains Anne. “It gave us the drive to fight. Without it, we might just have hidden away.

“Don’t get me wrong, there are days when it gets to you.

“But we want to help other people, those coming behind us.”

Henry is a member and former chairperson of the Scottish Dementia Working Group, a campaign group that fights for the rights of people living with the disease.

Anne has helped to organise carers’ conferences and is involved in many areas of work helping others understand the perspectives of family members. Both fundraise tirelessly for Alzheimer Scotland. They also attend education sessions with students and staff at the University of the West of Scotland and Henry speaks in schools, helping younger children understand what it’s like to live with dementia.

There are around 90,000 people living with dementia in Scotland and around 3200 are under the age of 65. The University is a leader in the field in the Scottish higher education sector for dementia-related teaching and research.

Today, Henry and Anne will receive the UWS Celebration Medal, which recognises those who have inspired the University in its scholarship, studies or in some way have made an impact on the way UWS, and others, respond to dementia.

“I nearly fell off my seat when I heard we were to get this award,” laughs Anne.

Henry agrees: “We’re not doing this to win awards, although it is lovely to receive them, of course.

“We’re doing this because of a small word – hope. If what we’re doing can give other people hope then we will be happy.”