Retired park keeper Roy Dadswell was left shaken and upset after he received a letter from the Alzheimer's Society informing him he had dementia.

Mr Dadswell, 72, opened the letter believing it was about his wife Angela, who does suffer from the illness.

Mr Dadswell, of Horton Road, Brighton, said: "It was addressed to me and when I opened it, the first line said 'I am sorry to tell you that you have dementia'.

"I don't have dementia so it was very distressing to get it.

"My wife is 78 and has suffered from Alzheimer's for five years and is in care but I go and see her every day.

"It is hard enough to cope with someone you have lived with all your life having an illness like that without getting letters like this one."

Mr Dadswell contacted the society, which told him the letters were fund-raising circulars but had been misinterpreted by some people.

He said: "They apologised but I expected a letter. I have waited and waited but nothing has come."

The society said the letters were a direct mail fund-raising initiative.

A spokeswoman said: "Because of the way the letter was folded, the first thing some people saw was the line saying 'I am sorry to tell you that you have dementia', which is what doctors have to tell 100 people a day.

"We have now withdrawn the letter and apologise that some people picked up the wrong message."

The spokeswoman said the society would be contacting Mr Dadswell to make a personal apology.