Berlusconi starts sentence

Berlusconi arrived in a chauffeur-driven car on Friday morning to begin his community sentence at the Sacred Family Foundation - a hospice for patients with Alzheimer's.

Before entering the building, the media tycoon was heckled by a trade union protester dressed in a clown outfit.

"To prison! We have one dream in our hearts, Berlusconi in San Vittore," shouted the protester, referring to an infamous Milanese jail, before being led away by police.

Last year, an appeals court upheld Berlusconi's tax fraud conviction -- leading to his expulsion from parliament -- and ordered him to work one morning a week for about 10 months at the Catholic-run hospice in Cesano Boscone, near Milan.

Reading, writing and games

Among his duties, Berlusconi will be expected to help out with a morning activity program for patients, including reading, writing and games.

Although the former premier has been warned not to use his work at the hospice for media purposes, officials believe his fame might prove helpful.

"It will be small steps so as not to make any mistakes. And then he could do all sorts of things. He could help with meals, which are tricky because sometimes you have to 'remind' the patient that they are eating," said Massimo Restelli, head of the hospice's care services.

"We'll see if Berlusconi's presence creates some kind of close bond, if he is a reference for anyone. The guests do remember things, even if that seems absurd to people who do not know the illness," Restelli said.

Studying 'cure methods'

The 77-year-old, who has also been banned from public office for two years, said in a radio interview on Thursday that he had a "big surprise" in store.

"It took me just 10 days to learn the different cure methods that can be used," he said. "What I can say is that I am looking around for all the latest cures that have been invented to allow people who are suffering from this grave disease (Alzheimer's) to do a bit more than what they manage to do today," he told Radio Capital.

Although Berlusconi was sentenced to a year in prison, a judge ruled that - on grounds of age - he did not have to go to prison. He was also spared house arrest, but is subject to restrictions on his movement and a nightly curfew.

It was Berlusconi's first definitive criminal conviction, although he is also appealing a sentence for abuse of power and having sex with an underage prostitute during one of his infamous "bunga bunga" parties.

rc/ipj (AP, AFP, dpa)