A DEMENTIA sufferer from South East Cornwall says he has 'nothing to lose' by taking part in a drugs trial.

Graham Leslie, from St Neot, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in his late-50s and, as the former owner of a care home where he looked after people with the condition, he is acutely aware of the importance of research.

Describing himself as an optimist, Graham said 'it was a no brainer' when he was approached about participating in a research study.

He said: 'I had nothing to lose and believe I could give something positive back by sharing my experience of this condition.

'How else can we expect to improve treatments and quality of life of people with dementia and their carers if we do not play our part in research to find more answers? There is so much to be gained from research.'

Graham said his commitment involves taking a tablet daily for two years and having blood samples taken by a research nurse in his home every three months.

Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust lead research nurse Sharon Hudson said: 'Graham is one of 15 patients we aim to recruit to this national study in Cornwall which aims to evaluate any impact of the drug and assess its safety and patient tolerance of it.

'This study is a very good example of research participation with relatively little disruption to the daily lives of patients and it doesn't have to involve travel to hospital.

'We are immensely grateful to patients like Graham who recognise that medical advances can only be achieved with health research.'

Patients diagnosed with dementia, carers and healthy volunteers can register themselves with a new national service called Join Dementia Research (JDR).

More than 600 people in the South West have already signed up to JDR, which aims to provide the opportunity to get involved in pioneering research, as well as streamlining the recruitment process for researchers.

By signing up to JDR online (http://www.joindementia">www.joindementia research.nihr.ac.uk) or by telephone (Alzheimer's Research UK 0300 111 5111 or Alzheimer's Society 0300 222 1122), volunteers agree to be contacted to see if they would like to take part in new studies being conducted in their local area.

This service is funded by the Department of Health and delivered by the National Institute of Health Research in partnership with Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer Scotland.