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Rumer Willis has shared that her father Bruce doesn’t always recognise her in a devastating update on his dementia battle.
The Die Hard actor, 70, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023,
Since then, his loved ones – including ex-wife Demi Moore and their three daughters – have shared updates on his condition, whilst also advocating for more awareness of the neurodegenerative condition.
During an Instagram Q&A, Rumer, 37, updated fans on her father in a tearful video after being asked how he is doing.
‘People always ask me this question and I think it’s a hard one to answer,’ she began.
‘The truth is that anybody with FTD is not doing great, but he’s doing okay in terms of somebody who is dealing with frontotemporal dementia.’
‘The only way that I feel like I can answer that in a way that was like “he’s doing great” is like, those parameters don’t really work anymore in my mind,’ she continued.
She said that she felt ‘so lucky, happy, and grateful’ to still be able to go and hug her father, despite the fact that he doesn’t always know who she is.
‘I’m so grateful that when I go over there and I give him a hug, whether he recognises me or not, that he can feel the love I’ve given him and I can feel it back from him.
‘I still see a spark of him and he can feel the love that I’m giving, so that feels really nice.’
She ended the video saying that she feels grateful she can see the Pulp Fiction actor with her daughter, Louetta, and spend time with the star
Bruce welcomed Rumer in 1988 with The Substance star Demi, before having Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31.
Alzheimer’s and dementia: the facts
The most common forms of dementia (symptoms of a decline in brain function) are Alzheimer’s disease followed by vascular dementia.
Alzheimer’s is caused when plaques and tangles form in the brain making it increasingly hard for it to function properly. Early symptoms include forgetting recent events, struggling to remember words, becoming disorientated in familiar places and finding it difficult to concentrate.
Common early symptoms of vascular dementia include problems making decisions or following a series of steps, such as cooking a meal; slower speed of thought and trouble sleeping. The condition can also cause significant mood changes and depression and make people behave completely out of character.
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer – and one in three babies born today will develop dementia in their lifetime. The risk of developing both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia roughly doubles every five years from the age of 65. Women and men are affected equally. Diabetes, obesity, heart problems and high blood pressure all increase the risk.
However, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing the diseases by leading a healthy lifestyle – not smoking or drinking to excess, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise. Keeping mentally and socially active is also beneficial.
The third most common form of dementia – accounting for an estimated 20 per cent of cases – is Lewy body. With this condition, tiny clumps of protein appear in the brain’s nerve cells, causing a range of issues including mood swings, problems processing thoughts, hallucinations, difficulty balancing and walking slowly. Although DLB (dementia with Lewy body) can affect people under 65, it is much more common as we age, affecting men and women equally.
There is currently no cure for any of the forms of dementia. But getting an early diagnosis is very important in allowing you and your loved ones to access all the medical and social support available. If you are worried that you have any of the symptoms, your GP will be able to refer you to a specialist who can carry out a range of tests.
If you are worried that yours or someone else’s symptoms may be dementia, download the Alzheimer’s Society symptoms checklist, on alzheimers.org.uk; for more information or support on anything you’ve read here, call our support line on 0333 150 3456 or visit our website.
He went on to marry Emma Heming in 2009 and welcomed two more daughters – Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11.
Last month, Emma shared a heartbreaking update as to how the pair’s children are dealing with their father’s illness.
‘I think they’re doing well, all things considered, but it’s hard,’ she told Vogue Australia.
‘They grieve, they miss their dad so much. He’s missing important milestones, that’s tough for them – but kids are resilient, [although] I used to hate hearing that because people didn’t understand what we were walking through.’
She added: ‘I don’t know if my kids will ever bounce back, but they’re learning and so am I.’
Emma was also forthcoming about her own grief in the new interview, explaining: ‘I’ve had to learn to walk alongside the grief. It’s always with me. I can’t shake it, but I’m going to breathe, and I’m going to be sad and all the feelings and emotions that I’m going to feel, but I am also not going to just allow it to be this one note of that.’
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