Bruce Willis’s wife has made a heartbreaking plea to fans about the attitudes to those with dementia as the actor continues to battle the condition.

The Die Hard star, 68, retired from acting in March 2022 after his family revealed he had been battling aphasia, which affects speech and comprehension.

In February 2023, they announced that Bruce had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, with challenges with communication being one of the key symptoms of the disease.

The family chose to go public with the diagnosis in order to raise awareness of the condition and have kept fans up to date with Bruce’s journey on social media.

Emma Heming Willis has kept fans updated with Bruce’s health journey. Credit: VCG via Getty Images

Bruce’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, took to social media to share a heartfelt plea with fans after a nurse opened up about the way dementia patients are sometimes treated.

She reposted a video from a nurse called Jacqueline who had revealed her sadness at how caregivers sometimes see people with the progressive condition.

In the clip, the nurse revealed she was administering foot care to patients at a facility where she hadn’t worked before and asked the caregivers if she should see the remaining patients at the home before she wrapped up her shift.

“I’m like ‘what about that lady, what about that lady?’ And the caregiver tells me: ‘Oh, she has dementia, she doesn’t matter,'”, the nurse devastatingly revealed.

“I got quiet, I didn’t know what to say. All I could say was I’m going to take a look at her feet anyway. Look at her foot, trimmed up some toenails, didn’t even charge because, obviously, this lady was missing a level of respect,” she added.

Once she got in the car and her shock at the poor attitude of the staff subsided, she added: “Those with dementia matter. Their feelings still matter.”

Emma shared the clip, adding: “I know my community knows this. But let’s spread this message around as a reminder to others to never be dismissive to anyone in cognitive decline. Thank you @yournursefortoday for your care and raising your voice.”

The nurse’s video noted that caregivers can often get burnt out from their heavy workload, adding: “Caregiver burnout is real. Caregiver burnout is a public health problem that will detrimentally prevent older and disabled adults from receiving care that is rooted in respect and dignity.

“Everyone in this Instagram community believes in optimizing the quality of life for the caregiver and the disabled adult.”

Bruce was forced to retire from acting after his symptoms worsened, and his family revealed there are “no treatment options” available to slow or stop his dementia from progressing.

Although they have not revealed which symptoms beside aphasia the actor has been living with, common symptoms of frontotemporal dementia also include personality changes and loss of speech. As the disorder progresses, patients can also experience issues with mobility such as slowness, muscle weakness or twitches, and even difficulty swallowing.