Demi Moore urges families of dementia sufferers to ‘let go of’ the person they used to be after her ex-husband Bruce Willis’ diagnosis – TH

Demi Moore urges families of dementia sufferers to ‘let go of’ the person they used to be after her ex-husband Bruce Willis’ diagnosis

Demi Moore has urged the families of dementia sufferers to ‘let go of’ the person they used to be.

The 61-year-old actress’ ex-husband Bruce Willis was revealed to be suffering from frontotemporal dementia last year, and she has remained to close to the Die Hard star and his current wife Emma Heming.

Bruce’s family confirmed that he was suffering from aphasia in March 2022, and in February, they revealed that he also had frontotemporal dementia – a rare form of the neurodegenerative disorder which can affect a person’s ‘personality, behavior, and language.’

Appearing on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show Radio Andy, Demi said she’s learned to ‘take in the joy and the love’ for who Bruce is now, rather than mourn how his condition has changed him.

The actress, who was promoting her role in Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans, was asked: ‘What message do you have for people out there who have family members who have dementia? Who are maybe caring for them or in their lives?’

Demi Moore has urged the families of dementia sufferers to ‘let go of’ the person they used to be after her ex-husband Bruce Willis’s diagnosis (pictured with daughter Tallulah)

Demi then replied: ‘I think the most important thing I could share is just to meet them where they’re at.

‘When you let go of who they’ve been or who you think they [should be], or who even you would like them to be, you can then really stay in the present and take in the joy and the love that is present and there for all that they are, not all that they’re not.’

Her Feud co-star Chloe Sevigny then quipped: ‘I’m gonna use that when I go home and see my mom next. Not that she has dementia, but she is really annoying.’

Bruce’s friend Glen Gordon Caron recently spoke of his visits to see him.

He said that while the Pulp Fiction star is still aware of who he is, he thinks his pal has lost his ‘joie de vivre’ as he appears to be ‘seeing life through a screen door’.

He told the New York Post: ‘My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am. He’s not totally verbal.

‘He used to be a voracious reader — he didn’t want anyone to know that — and he’s not reading now.

‘All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce.

Bruce Willis was revealed to be suffering from frontotemporal dementia last year, and Demi has remained close to him and his wife Emma

Appearing on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show Radio Andy, Demi said she’s learned to ‘take in the joy and the love’ for who Bruce is now

Bruce’s wife Emma previously shared the ‘importance’ of ‘sharing your feelings’ and not ‘bottling them up’ during her husband’s health battle

‘When you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone.’

Glen – who created 1980s comedy drama ‘Moonlighting’, which starred Bruce alongside Cybill Shepherd as private detectives – said he’s found it ‘mind-blowing’ to see how much his friend has changed.

He added: ‘The thing that makes [his disease] so mind-blowing is [that] if you’ve ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he.

‘He loved life and… just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest.’

Bruce’s wife Emma previously shared the ‘importance’ of ‘sharing your feelings’ and not ‘bottling them up’ during her husband’s health battle – while also revealing the support groups that she has turned to since his diagnosis, which she described as ‘a game changer that she didn’t know she needed.’

Emma posted an emotional video to Instagram on her wedding anniversary to Bruce, while explaining how vital it has been for her to have ‘community and connection’ as his health deteriorates.

The model also shared a follow-up clip detailing some of the organisations that offer help to family members of dementia patients after she said she received a slew of messages from people who were struggling to find someone to confide in, which she admitted ‘hurt her heart.’