Emma Heming-Willis shares insights into life with Bruce Willis’ dementia and reports on care and family cohesion.
In a new interview, Emma Heming-Willis commented on her husband Bruce Willis’ current health. As part of the publication of her guide “A Very Special Journey”, she provides intimate insights into how close family members deal with dementia.
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Dementia progression and moving for tailored care
At the beginning of 2022, action star Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia – a complex form of the disease. The family recently announced that the actor had moved into a property near the family home. The new apartment is adapted to the illness, where he receives 24-hour care, as the “Südwest Presse” reported. It was a difficult decision for the family, but one that was unavoidable due to the advanced stage of dementia. According to his wife, the actor’s health is “stable,” as she told “Apotheken Umschau” in an interview about the book’s publication.
Insights into life with someone suffering from dementia
In an interview with the health magazine, the 47-year-old talked about how challenging dementia is in the immediate family environment. The Golden Globe winner’s partner noted: “Dementia is a stigma” – especially when the sick person is a public figure. To protect her husband and the family’s privacy, she remained silent for a long time. Life with such a diagnosis is characterized above all by frustration, anger, isolation, loneliness and feelings of guilt, because for a long time you don’t know what will happen to the person and how you should deal with the illness and the new living conditions. In her non-fiction book “A Very Special Journey,” the author lets the public take a look at life with a partner diagnosed with dementia and gives advice that she initially wished she had.
Daughters would bring smiles
Thanks to her husband’s acting career, she was provided with the best possible care. However, the illness does not make a difference in the salary range. Heming-Willis added: “The disease doesn’t care that my husband is a Hollywood icon. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the Hollywood version of FTD.” The family and the writer herself enjoy the “small, beautiful moments like music, laughter and the warmth of being together.” In a few moments, the “old Bruce” will return, says Emma Heming-Willis. You can tell by the light in his eyes as soon as the 70-year-old looks at his two daughters Evelyn and Mabel – and by his smile.
Long road to dementia diagnosis
Emma Heming-Willis could no longer reconstruct when her husband’s dementia began, she explained in the interview. It was a year-long process in which the model noticed “irritating” changes in the way she interacted with the actor – especially in their shared communication – but was unable to classify them. She didn’t seek medical advice until years later because she couldn’t find the words to describe her partner’s changed behavior. Heming-Willis was alone for a long time to worry about her husband – a pattern she has also observed in other sufferers.