(NewsNation) — Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, shared that the actor lives in a second home following his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.  

Heming Willis revealed the news during an interview in “Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey – A Diane Sawyer Special” on Tuesday. 

“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far,” Heming Willis said in the special.  

“But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.” 

The additional home is a one-story house where the “Die Hard” star lives with an around-the-clock care team. Heming Willis said the second house isn’t far from the family’s first home, according to Us Weekly.  

She added that she and the couple’s two daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, spend a lot of time with him and have breakfast and dinner with him daily.  

Heming Willis, whose new book “The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope and Yourself on the Caregiving Path” comes out Sept. 9, said that Willis is still active but doesn’t seem aware of his condition, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  

Bruce Willis finds joy in moments of recognition: Emma Heming Willis

“Bruce is in really great health overall, you know, it’s just his brain that is failing him,” she told Sawyer. 

She also noted that she does feel the actor still recognizes her and his family. “I know he does. When we are with him, he lights up,” she shared. “He’s holding our hands, we’re kissing him, we’re hugging him, [and] he is reciprocating, you know, he is into it. And so that’s all I need.” 

NewsNation’s Paula Froelich reported in July that the “Looper” actor’s health has deteriorated to the point that he can no longer speak, read or walk.   

Heming Willis’s new book is described as “for anyone caregiving for a loved one with any form of dementia, and even for those caregiving for other conditions. … ‘The Unexpected Journey’ shows that you are not alone.” 

Emma Heming Willis: Caregivers need support

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Heming Willis has become an advocate for caregivers and urges support for families whose loved ones are living with dementia.  

The family’s dynamic has changed since Willis was diagnosed, she said. The author said she started isolating their family because noise would agitate Willis, she told Sawyer, according to People Magazine. 

She added that she stopped hosting sleepovers and playdates at the home for their daughters because “I didn’t know if parents would feel comfortable leaving their kid at our home.”  

Adding, “I isolated our whole family, and that was by design. … That was a hard time.” 

What is frontotemporal dementia?   

According to Mayo Clinic, frontotemporal dementia is an “umbrella term” for brain diseases that impact the frontal and temporal lobes, which can shrink.   

People who develop FTD can experience changes in their personality and develop an inability to speak.   

There is currently no cure or treatment for FTD, but medications can be effective in mitigating behavioral issues associated with symptoms.