A great-grandfather is making a passionate appeal for Alzheimer's sufferers to be given the drugs they need to live a normal life.

A few years ago, retired chiropodist Keith Turner, from Hastings, was confused, unable to recognise Lillian, his wife of more than 40 years, and prone to becoming lost.

Now 68, his life has been transformed by taking Aricept and his campaign for others to be given the £2.50-a-day drug is based on personal experience.

He said before he began his treatment, he often wandered off and could not be left on his own.

He was unable to follow television programmes or read because of his dementia and would sometimes burst into tears.

During this bleak existence, he began taking Aricept in November 2004. Now he is able to drive, go shopping on his own and work at his local branch of the Alzheimer's Society.

He said: "I am living a perfectly normal life."

The father of four is delighted by the change in his relationship with his nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He said: "It is fantastic because before, I am sure that the children all knew grandad had a problem and because of that they were very wary. But now it is quite normal. I can even remember things to tell them about the past."

Mr Turner is astonished by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (Nice) decision to only allow the drug to be prescribed to people suffering from more advanced stages of the disease.

He said: "This tablet is £2.50 a day, which they say I'm not worth My goodness, it's better than winning the lottery."

Mr Turner and others like him who are already using the drugs will be allowed to continue but he is angry they will not be prescribed for newly diagnosed patients.

He said: "I have got my life back. Why should Nice, who have never been down that path, deny people like myself the opportunity?

"This doesn't work for everybody but you have got to give people the opportunity to find out if it is going to work or not.

"This should be put in the hands of consultants, the people who know their patients, not politicians and not Nice."

Mr Turner said he offered to give evidence to Nice as a testimony to the drug's effectiveness and meet Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt. Neither offer was taken up.

He is angry people who have been paying into the NHS all their lives should be "penalised when they need the help most".