Pratchett's support for Bath charity
The Discworld creator last week presented a 20,000-signature petition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown urging the Government to step up its financial support for dementia research.
On Friday he opens the new headquarters of RICE – the Research Institute for the Care of Older People – at the Royal United Hospital.
He will unveil a plaque and speak about the importance of research into Alzheimers, a disease with which he was diagnosed last year.
RICE – which reflects its previous name of Research into the Care of the Elderly – has moved to the RUH from St Martin's Hospital.
The 20-year-old charity researches treatments and therapies for dementia and runs memory clinics and carers' courses which help sufferers and families alike.
Mr Pratchett said: "I have first hand knowledge of the work of the institute and am delighted to be formally opening the new building in Bath."
Mr Pratchett said last week that people needed to talk more about Alzheimer's to break the "superstition and witchcraft" which surrounded the disease.
He added: "Nearly everybody I have talked to around the country talks about caring for their mother or father with the disease, so it seems there is not a family in the land that hasn't been affected, yet it is like a huge secret everybody shares.
"Because Alzheimer's affects the brain we have some real difficulties about it."
The new centre has extra space to enable RICE to expand its research programme which now includes a two-year study looking at the quality of life of those affected by dementia.
RICE director Professor Roy Jones said: "We are thrilled that Terry is able to formally open the new RICE centre and to join us on this special occasion which gives us an opportunity to thank our donors for supporting the building project."
The new building was funded by cash from the National Lottery, charitable trusts including businessman Andrew Brownsword's Brownsword Foundation, and Bath firms such as Rotork and Roper Rhodes.
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