Legendary actor Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) last month. The retired actor stepped out in Santa Monica on Thursday. FTD symptoms often arise in younger patients between the ages of 40 and 65, according to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
During the filming sessions in which the actor was present, people present could already sense that something was not right. He had difficulty in holding conversations, coupled with not being able to connect words correctly. Bruce Willis’ wife also opened up about her husband’s prognosis.
Bruce Willis faces an ongoing struggle with dementia and his wife Emma took to social media to share a heartfelt message to fans that “those with dementia matter” via Mirror.
The former action star’s wife model Emma, reposted a video with her 850,000 Instagram followers to share the importance of treating patients battling dementia with empathy and patience.
In the video, a nurse shares the story of a caregiver telling her that one of her patients with dementia “doesn’t matter”. She goes on to explain how this mindset is common, but it is important to remember that these are still people – no matter how much their daily functioning has declined.
Make Time Wellness founder Emma captioned the story: “I know my community knows this. But let’s spread this message around as a reminder to others to never be dismissive to anyone in cognitive decline. Thank you @yournursefortoday for your care and raising your voice.”
