Emma Heming Willis is doubling down on her decision to move husband Bruce Willis into a second home as he battles frontotemporal dementia.
“The criticism and the judgment that people receive is off the charts,” Heming Willis, 49, said during a Tuesday, October 28, episode of NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports when discussing the living arrangement. “But I wanted to be very transparent, and I hope that it would support the next caregiver who has to make a really hard decision like the one that I had to make.”
Heming Willis and Willis, 70, share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. The Die Hard actor is also the father of three older daughters, Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, with ex-wife Demi Moore. Willis lives in the second home with a full-time care team. It’s located near Heming Willis’ primary residence, which she shares with Mabel and Evelyn.
“I think that it’s the hardest decision for anyone to have to make,” Heming Willis added. “I mean, that didn’t come lightly. … These are hard decisions that we have to make as caregivers. And we have young children in our house, and I needed to make the best and safest decision for my husband as well as our children.”
She continued, “I know that Bruce wouldn’t want our children’s lives to be clouded by his diagnosis, and I wanted other caregivers to feel seen about this idea of that if it comes time to place their loved one in a care facility.”
Willis’ move is a topic Heming Willis did not shy away from in her book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, which was released in September.
“Giving and allowing the girls some space from Bruce also helps prepare them for his death,” she wrote. “I know how dark and jarring that sounds, but that is the harsh reality of the world I must navigate to continue to protect our girls the best way I can.”
Heming Willis also explained the benefits of having a round-the-clock care team for her husband.
“One benefit to getting help, whether you bring it into your home or have your person move to a community-based setting, is the ability to get back to your original role in your person’s life,” she explained.Mabel and Evelyn regularly go with Heming Willis to visit their dad at his home for meals and quality time. Heming Willis said that her goal is to “truly enjoy our fleeting time together, and there’s nothing I could ever do to repay our care team for that.”
Willis’ family first revealed he was diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder, in March 2022. The following year, they announced his condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia, which impacts behavior and language. As the disorder has affected Willis’ language skills, Heming Willis has found new ways to communicate with her husband.
“Instead, I read his body language or look into his eyes to understand what’s bothering him and what he’s experiencing,” she wrote. “I compare this to the instinct that you have as a parent. With just one glance at your child, you can tell immediately if something isn’t right. And with one look at Bruce, I can tell if his neck hurts or if he’s got a headache.”
NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas Reports airs weeknights, 7 p.m. ET.
Read the full article here
