Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with a type of dementia called frontotemporal dementia. His family shared this information on social media only recently, saying they feel relieved that they now have a better understanding of his condition.
67-year-old Willis has been having trouble with his speech because of a condition known as aphasia. He was diagnosed with this the condition last year, and it is only this year that he has been given a more specific diagnosis known as frontotemporal dementia.
Bruce Willis and His Career
Bruce Willis is an American actor who is also a producer. He is famous for his performances in movies based on serious stories and with lots of action. He was born on March 19th, 1955 in West Germany to an American father and German mother. Willis grew up with four siblings in New Jersey.
He started off acting in plays during the early 1980s, and soon he began to appear on television and in movies. In 1985, he played David Addison Jr. in the “Moonlighting” TV series and won an award for it. His most famous movies include “Die Hard”, “The Fifth Element”, and “The Sixth Sense.” Bruce Willis has been married twice and has five kids.
What Dementia Does to the Person
Dementia affects your memory, thinking, and how you understand things. It gets worse over time and can make it hard to accomplish daily tasks. Sometimes it even causes changes in how you act and feel.
Often, around 60 to 70 percent of the time, dementia is a result of Alzheimer’s, although it can also be caused by problems within the brain’s blood vessels.
Lewy body disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease, are other probable causes of dementia.
Generally, it is not completely known why dementia happens, but it is suspected that damage occurs to the brain cells and causes the brain to stop working well. Such damage is attributed to factors such as genes, getting older, lifestyle, high blood pressure, diabetes, and head injuries.
FTD as a Cause of Dementia
Frontotemporal dementia, abbreviated as FTD, is a type of memory problem that affects how a person thinks and acts. It happens because the front and side parts of the brain (which are responsible for how we behave, speak and our personality) are damaged. There are different symptoms of FTD, among them changes in how a person acts, talks or even responds to other people.
Dementia affects millions of people worldwide. In 2020 it was estimated that around 50 million people had dementia, and as the world’s population continues to age, this number is expected to rise. In fact, it is projected that by 2030 the number of people with the condition will have reached to 82 million, and by 2050, 152 million!
Signs of Dementia and How to Mitigate Them
One of the earliest signs of dementia is forgetting things that are important or those that have already happened. As the condition gets worse, the person may lose other skills like use of language and capacity to solve problems.
Other common signs of dementia is feeling sad, worried or even angry; besides change of behavior. Others include forgetfulness, confusion, feeling lost, changes in mood, difficulty with speaking, and incapacity to make good decisions.
There is no cure for dementia right now, but some medicines and treatments can help to mitigate the symptoms and slow down the condition. These include medicines that motivate thinking and help to manage behavior change, as well as others that reduce any swelling in the brain.
It is also helpful for people with dementia to exercise and feed well, even as they engage in activities that stimulate their minds. Considering that people with the condition need to be motivated to do these things, caregivers, counselors, and close family members come in very handy.
The Timing of Bruce Willis Dementia Diagnosis
In a new message on Thursday, Bruce Willis’ family said they wished that people in the media paid more attention to dementia as a health condition. If this had happened, they felt, people like Bruce might be helped in good time.
The family said that Bruce always used his voice to help other people and to talk about important issues. If Bruce could talk now, they believe he would want people to know more about the disease and how it affects people and their families. Among the family members who contributed to the message the family released was his wife, Emma Heming, ex-wife, Demi Moore, and their children.
Why Bruce Willis’ Family Decided to Disclose His Medical Condition
A few days ago, the family of Willis felt confident enough to share information pertaining to his illness because, in their view, this will encourage other people to learn more about the condition. Bruce being someone who endeavored to help other people through advocacy, the family hopes that other people in Hollywood are going to take up the challenge to draw attention to this debilitating condition.
Bruce being 67yrs of age, such disclosure is also bound to give credence to the information that frontotemporal dementia is the most common type of dementia for people under 60 years old.