Known for her incredible Hollywood career, Demi Moore is now offering some poignant guidance to families navigating the difficulties of having a family one with dementia.
Along with her co-stars from Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans, the actress most recently appeared on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show Radio Andy.
Cohen probed Moore’s mixed-race family relationships and her encouraging bond with her estranged husband Bruce Willis, who is dealing with health issues, during the conversation.
Bruce Willis’s medical diagnosis
The Die Hard star’s frontotemporal dementia diagnosis
was revealed to the public in February of last year; aphasia was the diagnosis that had been made for him in 2022.
Unfortunately, Bruce’s condition is degenerative, so it appears that his health problems will only worsen with time.
The actor’s close friend recently disclosed that the actor is no longer ‘totally verbal,’ and that Emma Heming Willis, his wife, is now providing him with full-time care.
The Willis family has been quite transparent about providing frequent updates on the 68-year-old’s condition ever since they revealed that he had dementia.
Tallulah Willis, his youngest daughter, talked about her father’s illness and the reasons her family chose to be so transparent about it when she made an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in November.
‘On the one hand, it’s our family’s identity,’ the 29-year-old said to Barrymore. But secondly, because there isn’t enough information available, it’s critical that we raise awareness of FTD.
Demi’s poignant remark
Demi has stood at her ex-husband’s side through all of this heartbreak. Cohen questioned the St. Elmo’s Fire actress,
‘What message do you have for people out there who have family members who are suffering from dementia?’ during his radio episode. Who might be in their lives, or providing care for them?
‘I think the most important thing I could share is just to meet them where they are at,’ Demi said, stressing the significance of accepting dementia patients for who they are at this moment.
‘You can truly 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 are not,’ the speaker added, ‘when you let go of who they’ve been, who you think they [should be], or even who you would like them to be.’
Chloë Sevigny, her co-star, said, “I’m going to use that when I go home and see my mom next.” She may not be suffering from dementia, but she annoys me a lot.
Demi has been spending a lot of quality time with their three girls, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah, during Bruce’s health issues.
Together with Bruce, his wife Emma Heming, and their two young kids, Mabel and Evelyn, they have established a nurturing environment.
Shortly after Bruce’s diagnosis was made public, Demi celebrated his birthday on Instagram, showing her public support for him.
‘Happy birthday, Bruce!’ was the message she wrote alongside a happy photo she shared. We are grateful for our unified family 🤍.
After getting married in 1987, the couple split up 11 years later in 1998, and they eventually divorced in 2000. In 2009, Bruce then wed Emma Heming.
Demi, Bruce, and Emma’s continued friendship just serves to highlight how crucial it is for blended families to support one another through difficult times.