This month actor Bruce Willis’ (Die Hard, Moonlighting) family announced that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Frontotemporal dementia primarily affects the areas of the brain most closely associated with personality, behavior and language. Though less common than Alzheimer’s disease, FTD is more likely to affect people in their 40s to early 60s.

While Willis’ diagnosis is notable, it is far from rare: 1 in 3 seniors dies with or from dementia, more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. People with FTD typically live six to eight years with their condition.

In most cases, the cause of dementia is unknown; however, people with a family history of FTD are more likely to develop the disorder. While different forms of dementia have their own symptoms and patterns of progression, generally speaking people with dementia have problems with thinking, memory and reasoning, and progressively lose the ability to carry out basic tasks of daily living.

In its most advanced stages, dementia robs people of their ability to recognize loved ones or surroundings, speak, or control their movements.  See the seven stages of dementia here.

Modern medicine has advanced to keep our bodies alive longer and longer. But without a cure or effective treatment, those with dementia may face the unintended effect of living with the advanced stages of their illness far longer than most people want to, leading to unnecessary suffering.

If you or a loved one are facing a dementia diagnosis, or if you want to be prepared in advance, now is the time to take charge and plan the kind of care you want.

By using the Compassion & Choices Dementia Values and Priorities Tool you can tell loved ones and medical providers how to advocate for you as the disease progresses. It covers everything from tests and treatments to comfort care and feeding at each step along the way. You can even print out a dementia addendum to your advance directive.

Start the conversation today, and put your wishes in writing.

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