What is Dementia?
Dementia is a disease that nobody wants to have when they get older. “Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning,” according to the National Institute on Aging. This disease prevents people from remembering even something from the day before. It is such a bad disease, to the point where people forget who their own children or wife/husband is. Therefore, this disease can truly impact someone’s life negatively, as they constantly need to be told who their family is, and what happened the day before.
Doing this constantly can certainly get very draining for family members, as constantly having to remind them of who they are, is saddening to the members as well. The fact that there is really no treatment for dementia, only makes matters worse. Unfortunately, Willis suffers from a worse type of this disease, Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).
Why Is Frontotemporal Dementia Different?
After going over what the definition of Dementia is, and how it can affect the people around them as well, you may be asking yourself, what differentiates Frontotemporal Dementia from regular dementia? Well, “There are different types of dementia, and the frontotemporal form affects regions in the front and sides of the brain. Because it causes problems with behavior and language, aphasia can be a symptom,” according to KomoNews. As aforementioned, dementia affects the remembering aspect of the brain. Whereas Frontotemporal Dementia affects all sides of the brain, which also affects how people behave as well.
This can certainly cause many problems when it comes to behavior. It could make someone act out in a way they do not intend, and therefore stir up trouble without meaning to. Nobody will really understand either as they will not believe that you actually have that disease. Therefore it can certainly be overwhelming not only for the person but for the others around them. Up to 40% of FTD cases have some family history, which means a genetic cause may run in the family. This goes to show that a family history of frontotemporal dementia is crucial.
Who is Bruce Willis?
He is an actor, who has been diagnosed with this terrible disease. “Willis’ family, including ex-wife Demi Moore, said in a statement on Thursday that his aphasia diagnosis, which the family announced in March, had progressed to frontotemporal dementia. Willis is 67,” according to AOL. Therefore, the fact that he has this disease causes him to change his behavior and his personality, but it is not his fault whatsoever. This disease is a very complicated one, and research is still being done to even find a potential treatment option.
Aphasia also adds to the problem. By definition, “Aphasia is a disorder that affects how you communicate. It can impact your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.”
Willis unfortunately also suffers from Aphasia. This leaves him with a difficult time communicating with others and expressing his feelings. Sometimes, he may express himself in a way that is confusing to others, and maybe even scary to others. The thing is, it is not his fault, nor is it anyone else’s fault while suffering from this.
The Future of Treatment
The hope for the future is that a reliable treatment option will become available as more research is being done on Frontotemporal Dementia. The fact that it is so complicated, and is something that requires in-depth research makes this process much more difficult. The brain is a very complicated vital organ. Research needs to be done in order to make sure that a treatment option will work. If not, the treatment could have disastrous consequences.
Written by David Loran Jr
Sources:
KomoNews: Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia. What is FTD?
AOL: Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia. These are the disease’s symptoms
Mayo Clinic: Aphasia Overview
National Insititute on Aging: Dementia
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Patient Care Technician Courtesy of Michael Havens’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
