Why Bruce Willis’ wife sought treatment after suffering from dementia

Emma Heming Willis talks about one of the hardest decisions she had to make while caring for her husband, Bruce Willis, and the treatment she said she needed to prepare for it.

The 70-year-old retired actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023, a disease that robbed him of much of his speech and cognitive abilities.

In August, Emma revealed that the Die Hard star had moved into a nearby “second home” where he received round-the-clock care in a quieter environment.

“I know if I talked about it honestly and openly there would be a lot of criticism,” Emma, ​​47, said on Thursday while attending Endwell 2025, an annual summit focusing on end-of-life care and death.

“I did a lot of therapy around this, like preparing myself,” she told co-panelist Yvette Nicole Brown, who shared her experience caring for her father with dementia.

Emma made it clear that the criticism she received didn’t come from members of their family, including Bruce’s distant relatives, ex-wife Demi Moore, or his three adult daughters.

“Judgment comes from the outside,” says the actress, model, entrepreneur and author.

Some social media users have questioned why the Pulp Fiction star doesn’t live with her family full-time, while others believe Emma is neglecting or alienating her husband.

“If you’re not on the front lines of this, in that person’s house, day in and day out, 365 days a year, you don’t have a voice and you don’t have a vote,” she clapped back.

When Brown asked her how she felt about the outside world’s perception of her family’s choices, Emma didn’t mince words: “Fuck them.”

“This is the best decision for our family. It’s the safest decision. Our family is essentially thriving now,” Emma said. “People don’t realize all the needs that are going unmet behind the scenes.”

She said her daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, can once again invite friends over for play dates and sleepovers while still seeing their father regularly.

“Their world has completely opened up, and so has my husband’s,” said Emma, ​​who has been married to Bruce since 2009.

“It’s the right thing for our family and may not be the right thing for other people’s families, and that’s okay,” she continued. “We’re all on our own journey.”

Emma said the family opened up about Bruce’s health issues in part to confront the stigma surrounding FTD and to support other caregivers facing similar challenges, many of them alone.

According to the Association for Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, FTD affects approximately 50,000 to 60,000 Americans and accounts for approximately 10% to 20% of all dementia cases in the United States.

The disease has a relatively early onset, with most diagnoses occurring between the ages of 45 and 64 years.

Bruce was 67 years old when his family announced he had been diagnosed with FTD. His condition began with an early diagnosis of aphasia, which was made public in the spring of 2022.

Emma said she initially dealt with the ordeal alone, fearing news would leak if outside support was brought in.

“Bruce’s neurologist really woke me up and told me the statistics of these caregivers dying before their loved ones,” she explained. “It shocked me.”

Research shows that caregiving can take a serious toll on health. Caregivers’ lives can be shortened by up to eight years due to chronic stress and physical strain, a study has found.

Another study found that spousal caregivers had a 63% higher mortality rate compared with non-caregivers of the same age.

The neurologist told Emma she was “burning the candle at both ends”, caring for her husband while raising her two young daughters alone, and urged her to seek help.

“I’m really grateful that the neurologist gave me the clearance I needed, because honestly to God, if she hadn’t, I would still be doing this on my own,” she said.

Emma has previously discussed being diagnosed with depression following Bruce’s diagnosis. She has sought help from a therapist.

When asked how she takes care of herself today, she says it’s to make time to do the things that make her happy.

“It could be a 10-minute phone call with a friend,” Emma said. “Probably go into my garden and kill plants and replant them. I find joy in that,” she continued with a laugh.

“What feeds my soul? This is how I take care of myself,” she said. “Did I do a good job? No, I didn’t do a good job, but I tried really hard.”