Bruce Willis' family is reworking long-standing holiday traditions as the 70-year-old actor continues his battle with frontotemporal dementia, a condition that has reshaped daily life across a blended household that includes his wife Emma Heming, their children, and the three adult daughters he shares with Demi Moore. Heming, speaking in Los Angeles at the End Well 2025 conference, described the emotional and logistical adjustments required as Willis copes with both frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia.
Heming told People that caregiving during the holidays requires both acceptance and reinvention. "You have to learn and adapt and make new memories [but] bring in the same traditions that you had before," she said, adding that "life goes on." She also acknowledged that "dementia is hard," but insisted "there is still joy in it."
Frontotemporal dementia affects the parts of the brain that govern behavior, personality and language, a distinction Heming emphasized as she works to maintain seasonal continuity for their daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. "I think it's important that we don't paint such a negative picture around dementia. We are still laughing. There is still joy. It just looks different," she said.
Willis' family has tried to preserve a sense of lightness around their holiday routines. Heming declined to detail Thanksgiving plans but noted their Christmas tradition will include Willis' preferred seasonal movie. "Bruce loved Christmas, and we love celebrating it with him," she said, adding, "I think it's important to put Die Hard on because it's a Christmas movie."
Heming described their household environment as "very simple" and said the children were learning "empathy and compassion" as part of their father's care. These changes come as the family continues to manage Willis' progressive symptoms, which the family disclosed publicly beginning in 2022 when announcing his aphasia diagnosis and his retirement from acting.
The broader Willis family has remained closely involved. Moore previously encouraged her daughters to "meet him where he is," a sentiment echoed recently by their eldest, Rumer Willis, who said she feels "so happy and grateful" that she can still "hug him." Rumer said that "whether he recognizes [her] or not," she believes he "recognizes the love," noting that she still sees "a spark of him."
Tallulah Willis previously wrote in Vogue about the difficulty of processing her father's decline, recalling how she once misinterpreted symptoms as emotional distance. Their shared daughter, Rumer, also noted her gratitude for bringing her 2-year-old daughter, Louetta, to visit her grandfather, ensuring intergenerational continuity despite the medical challenges.
Heming has openly discussed the complexities of providing the care Willis now needs. In August, she said she had made "the hard decision" to move him into a separate home nearby, explaining that his neurodegenerative condition required a quiet setting and round-the-clock support from trained staff. The facility provides the specialized therapies and safety measures that became increasingly difficult to maintain in a family home.
