A young actor’s moving film about coming to terms with her grandad’s dementia diagnosis is creating a buzz on social media.

Rebecca Fuller’s homemade video has received more than 11,000 views on Twitter, as well as more than 600 combined views on Facebook and Instagram.
 
The 23-year-old, of Dudley, filmed herself reading a self-penned poem, which she posted earlier this year to mark what would have been her grandad Walter Hickling’s 96th birthday. Her heart-felt delivery and simple but effective message has won praise from organisations including Alzheimer’s Society, the UK’s leading dementia charity. Rebecca said:

“The poem is written from my perspective growing up, observing my grandad and our family go through his dementia and what it was like through the eyes of a child.
 
“It's based on my own experiences with my late grandad, a well-respected World War II veteran, and what I witnessed both him and my family go through."
 
Walter was a war hero who, having lied about his age to join the army, lost a leg after being blown up by an improvised explosive device. Despite this he held down a variety of jobs after the war, including working as a steel buyer and furniture salesman. He also devoted much of his spare time to charitable causes and for a while was a local president of St John Ambulance.
 
Much-respected in the community, he was instrumental in raising awareness of – and funding for – a war memorial in Dudley town centre. The memorial now takes pride of place outside Dudley civic buildings and is the centre piece to the town’s Remembrance Parade. Rebecca added:

“I’m so pleased the film has been well received by organisations such as Alzheimer’s Society, which supported my family through an incredibly tough time. Grandad was a loving husband and father and an incredibly warm and generous grandfather to five grandchildren.

WATCH REBECCA'S VIDEO:

 
“He retained his cheeky, jovial attitude most of the time but did have occasional outbursts of frustration and acknowledgement of his confusion, which were difficult to manage. He lived with dementia for seven years and passed away in 2011 after falling into a coma, brought on by a brain bleed.”
 
There are 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, including an estimated 4,348 in Dudley. The condition is the UK’s biggest killer, with someone developing it every three minutes. Alzheimer’s Society spokesperson Ken Oxley said:

“Rebecca’s incredibly moving and well put together film really communicates the world of confusion people living with dementia often find themselves in.
 
“She explains how her family coped by embracing her grandad’s reality, even if it didn’t match their own, and how they managed to put a smile on his face. I’d urge everyone to watch it.”