Overview

• Emma Heming Willis, wife of Bruce Willis, emphasized the need for caregivers to receive support, following the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
• Hackman, 95, passed away from cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor, while Arakawa, 65, died a week earlier from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
• Heming Willis used the tragedy to underscore how caregiving is often an invisible and undervalued role, shaped by societal and systemic neglect.
• Experts stress that caregiving is frequently seen as a private family duty, leading to burnout, isolation, and a lack of resources like paid leave and respite care.
• Heming Willis, a caregiver to her husband diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, advocates for collective responsibility and has a forthcoming book on caregiving set for release this year.