MOVING stories of how families in the district have coped with dementia during the pandemic have been shared in a new short film.

Commissioned by Dementia Friendly Keighley and Bradford2025 MAKE:FILM, the film hears from a number of people who were separated from loved ones with Alzheimer’s and dementia in care homes.

For Keighley filmmaker Scott Coulthard it was a subject close to his heart, as he learns how to cope with his grandmother’s memory loss.

He said: “The interviews were really emotional.

“I heard about the difficulties of dementia not just for the person, but for the people around them. I also learned about the amount of help and support and groups there are and that carers are so much more than just workers, they have to be family.”

Among those featured is Dawn Hargreaves, who made the decision to move her husband David into a care home permanently before Covid.

While waiting for an assessment, the UK was thrown into a national lockdown and David – who has Alzheimer’s – caught the virus.

Four days after he fell ill, David was admitted to Airedale Hospital.

Dawn said: “They said he wouldn’t be able to cope with the ventilation so they were just giving him as much oxygen as they could. Then I got a phone call from one of the doctors asking whether I’ve considered palliative care, which was a massive shock.”

Miraculously David made a recovery and returned to Sutton Lodge. But while he had beaten Covid-19, his memory loss had worsened.

“He didn’t have a clue who we were,” Dawn said.

“It was such a shock. He’d lost so much weight. He couldn’t lift his head up to look at you. He didn’t know where he was.”

Mental health nurse Rebecca Templeman dealt with the first case at her care home in May last year.

She told Scott: “Once it was in the home, it seemed to go through the residents quite rapidly. We had quite a lot of people die at that point. It was just the worst time.”

Julie Lintern, manager of Dementia Friendly Keighley, said it was “an honour” to be part of the project.

She added: “Hearing people’s experiences of dementia during lockdown was hard-hitting and moving.

“Covid-19 has been difficult for everyone, but more so for those who were reliant on support services.

“We would like to thank everyone who shared their stories, it was an absolutely humbling project.”

Dementia Friendly Keighley has adapted its services during lockdown, providing support such as online groups and activities and a seven-day helpline.

* Watch the film at t.ly/HPus.