An expert talked about how dementia can change someone’s behavior, as Bruce Willis keeps living with the condition after sharing his diagnosis in 2023.
Bruce, now 70, has frontotemporal dementia (FTD). It’s not as common as Alzheimer’s, and it mainly affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
He had an amazing Hollywood career with movies like Die Hard and The Sixth Sense. After the news came out, fans sent loads of love, and his family has been giving updates on how he’s doing.
Bruce Willis’ wife explains their living situation
In an interview with ABC News, his wife Emma Heming Willis said Bruce has moved out of the family home where she and their daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, still live.
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Emma describes his health condition
Emma said he was still in “really great health overall” and still “very mobile.” But the part of his body that’s struggling is his brain.
She explained he’s starting to lose his language, and now the family only gets small glimpses of the real Bruce.
Family holds on to rare glimpses of his personality
“It’s his laugh, right? He has such a hearty laugh,” she said. “And sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk, and I just get transported.”
But those flashes of his old self don’t last long. They come and go quickly.
The decision for him to live separately was difficult
Emma said Bruce is now living in a different house. She called it one of the hardest choices the family has had to make.
She explained that Bruce would’ve wanted it this way for their daughters. “He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs,” she said.
An expert explains how FTD affects behavior
Simon Wheeler from the Alzheimer’s Society said FTD mostly affects thinking and language, but it can also change mood, personality, and behavior.
There are two types. One is behavioral variant FTD, which affects how people think and act. The other is primary progressive aphasia, which affects how people use language. That’s the one Bruce has.
He said changes in behavior or language are usually the first things people notice.
Behavioral variant FTD shows specific signs
Noticeable changes in a person with behavioral variant FTD may include:
- Struggling to focus and becoming easily distracted
- Having trouble planning, solving problems, or making decisions
- Losing motivation for things they used to enjoy
- Acting in ways that don’t feel socially right or making choices without thinking
- Finding it hard to understand what others might be thinking or feeling
- Showing repetitive or obsessive behaviors
Primary progressive aphasia affects language skills
Changes in someone with primary progressive aphasia may include:
- Losing memory and understanding of words, leading to a smaller vocabulary
- Speaking slower or putting words together in a way that doesn’t make sense
- Using shorter sentences with long pauses
- Having difficulty physically speaking
Loved ones can adapt by recognizing challenges
Wheeler said people with behavioral variant FTD might not even realize they have dementia or that their behavior is changing.
Loved ones need to remember this. It helps them accept that any hurtful behavior isn’t intentional.
Experts share advice for social settings
Wheeler also gave some tips for social situations. He suggested:
- Remove possible triggers like noisy or crowded places
- Distract the person by bringing up a new topic
- Let others know about the dementia. Some people carry small help cards to explain their situation and guide others on how to support them
