Bruce Willis' wife has opened up about her experience as a caregiver following her husband's dementia diagnosis.
The actor's wife, Emma Heming Willis admitted that it's "easy to get into the doom and gloom" after Bruce was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and retired from acting last year.
But she says it's all about "shifting perspective" and working your way through the hardships while caring for her husband.
"I have times when I’m in it to win it and times when I can’t focus due to life," she vulnerably admitted in an Instagram Live with Ty Lewis a Certified Dementia Practitioner who cares for her mother.
Talking about the difficulty of asking for help when you are caring for someone with dementia, Emma admitted: "People are nervous about coming around, they’re not used to seeing the person they knew in a different state, that can get a little tricky."
She added: "Once they get this diagnosis people tend to write them off."
But Emma says that she tries to practise "gratitude" throughout her day to stay positive.
“I try to start my day and end my day in gratitude, things I want to make time for in my day and when I go to bed I think of three things I got right," she said.
"It’s so easy to get into the doom and gloom of what went wrong so it’s really about flipping the script and changing that self talk."
When asked how she's doing today, Emma said: "You know, today, good after speaking to you good, I have my moments it just depends so hanging in there, doing the best that I can, turning my pain into purpose is the vibe that I’m leading with.
"I’m trying to lift everyone up I think community is everything and I didn’t have that for a while
"There’s so much love and support and I find so much strength through it."
Yesterday, Emma revealed how Bruce is being supported by his nine-year-old daughter Evelyn amid his struggles with dementia.
In a video shared with her 830,000 followers, Emma said: "So I have to tell you this story, and I'm going to try and do it without crying because when Evelyn told me this story, I was an absolute puddle."
Emma then explained how her daughter had searched for "fun facts about dementia" during her free time at school.
Evelyn learned how people suffering from the disease "can become severely dehydrated".
Emma said: "Now, that's not funny, but it is kinda funny. And she really is her father's child because these two love some random facts.
"So I said to her, 'Evelyn, we will always make sure daddy has a bottle of water in hand. Thank you for letting me know. But that is the most loving and compassionate thing that you can do is to be curious and educate yourself on your dad's disease."
In a second video, Emma continued: "It really is one of the most loving and compassionate things we can do as caregivers, as friends and family, is to educate ourselves about our loved ones diseases so we can best show up for them and support them in the best way possible."
She added: "Keep educating yourself, stay curious and remember to hydrate your loved ones."
Aside from Evelyn, Bruce and Emma are also parents to 11-year-old Mabel. Bruce also shares daughters Rumer, 34, Scout, 31, and Tallulah, 29, with ex-wife Demi Moore.
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