This is the story of a man called Archie, told by his Granddaughter Suzanne. 

"For as long as I can remember, I can't remember a day that went by without my Grandpa. He was hands on and wasn't scared of changing a nappy or two like maybe some other men of his generation would be. No matter how many times as a baby and toddler I would soak him from head to toe when I'd 'splish splash' in the bath, he would never be discouraged from helping out. I think he felt it was his duty to be as involved as he could as I was growing up as a fatherless child with a single Mother. (His daughter Anne.) I can't remember the early years of my life, so I got most of my early years stories from my Mum, Great Aunts & Uncles, various family members, friends of my Grandpa and the childhood videos. Birthdays, Christmas, family events all got filmed and there was always a constant presence there and that was my Grandpa. He never missed a thing. What I do remember from my childhood is the incredible bond we had, we were like a team. I also remember how I would listen to all his stories about the War and his time in the Navy, his many years of working at the Royal Scottish Automobile Club and all the rally & Formula 1 drivers he had met and organised dinners for, my Gran (who had died 7 years before I was born), him & his brother as children and just generally educating me on various subjects. I was blessed with a Grandpa so knowledgable and who'd lived such an exciting life. Our days together would be full of adventures to museums, parks, even day to day activities like going grocery shopping would be the most exciting thing ever just because I was with him. As a family, we would have dinner every day together. My Grandpa and I would sit on the sofa together infront of the TV. Him with a big table and I with the little table. After dinner time we would always play a trick on my Mum. If she shouted through to the lounge for help washing the dishes, my Grandpa would pretend to nod off for a nap and give me a knowing wink to do the same. So when my Mum eventually would come marching through demanding help, she would just see us both 'napping.' When my Mum would leave the room after sounding a tutting noise, we'd both giggle away as we accomplished not having to do the dishes. Laughter was always a constant when my Grandpa was around. The earliest thing I can remember laughing at my Grandpa doing was him showing me his bowler hat trick. He would stand against the wall and flick hit hat up with putting his head against the wall. Oh I thought this was just the funniest thing I'd ever seen as a kid. Obviously, as I got older the hat trick didn't work on me as much anymore but he always found other ways to keep me smiling or laughing. In general, he was always making people smile and laugh. He was that kind of man. A good man, with a kind heart, a spring in his step and that could always see the humourous side of things. I was a teenager when he became ill, and to see this man you worship and love become a shaddow of his former self was utterly heartbreaking for myself and my Mum. I would definitely go as far as saying it was traumatic at times. Especially when he would wonder off from his house and go to neighbours not knowing where he was. It did all happen very gradually though, he'd forget little things and then everything just went a bit crazy. Looking back, I have seemed to have blocked alot of the memories from that time out of my head. It was all so much to take in at 14. The one thing I will always vividly remember is that last moment he was lucid in front of me. It was the night that the Doctor said it would maybe be best if he went to the hospital. My Grandpa had been sitting on the sofa with the Doctor in his living room as they discussed the situation with him. I had been in the kitchen being consoled by one of his carers, (who were absolutely incredible the whole time they looked after him at home) and I had turned round and looked through the door and my beloved Grandpa was just looking at me with this look on his face. It's a look I will never forget. He just had a hint of a smile on his face and an expression that just made me feel so warm. It was a look on his face I hadn't seen for a while and I just knew that it was his way of saying Goodbye to me before he would forget me. After that it just goes a little blank for me as all I can remember is just a lot of pain and suffering of family and friends as the incredible man we knew began to faid away. There would be days you would visit him and he would seem happy in his own mind and other days wouldn't be so good. The one thing that never changed was his appearance. He always wore a shirt and tie everyday. Many times over many years various member of the family would question him on why he needed the shirt and tie every day but he never budged. He was always well presented, you can imagine what he was like in his Sunday best. An incredibly dapper man he was. The man even wore a shirt and tie when we went to visit him in the hospital. Every day, no matter what was happening in his head, he would make sure he was dressed and on went a shirt and tie right up till the very end. 

I'm blessed to have such charming memories of my Grandpa from my childhood and I will never forget all the moments we had, the time he devoted to me and the love and support I received from him. 

Many of you out there will currently be caring for a loved one suffering from Dementia or have recently lost someone to the illness. You are not alone and Alzheimer Scotland are their to help you through this heartbreaking ordeal. With the number of people with Dementia on the rise, it's up to us to all come together to ensure that these individuals and families get all the services and support that they need in the future.  

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