Patrick Dempsey Recalls the ‘Tremendous Stress’ of Being a Caregiver for His Late Mother

Hollywood actor Patrick Dempsey, 59, recently shared his journey as a caregiver for his late mother, Amanda Dempsey, who battled ovarian cancer for 17 years. ​​“In my mother’s case, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the late 90s,” Dempsey said in an Instagram video. “Then over the next 14 years, she would have 12 reoccurrences, so it had a profound impact on our family, and everybody in the family handles it differently. ​​“It’s important to identify the strengths of the family and weaknesses of the family and then build the support group around that.” ​

The Ferrari actor then said that while his sister, who worked in a hospital, handled the “day-to-day conversations” with nurses and doctors, he was responsible for giving his mother various “projects” to keep her mind and body active. ​​“I would pick up the slack by giving my mom a project at the house,” Dempsey continued. “She wanted to stay active, and I think that’s the same for a caregiver. You want to keep that routine going, and you want to [put] your team in place that can help support you.” ​​​

Amanda succumbed to ovarian cancer in 2014. Before her passing, he founded the Dempsey Center in honor of his mother to help ease the difficulties for other families dealing with a cancer diagnosis. ​​

Earlier in the video, Dempsey stressed the importance of caregivers receiving adequate assistance as they care for their loved ones. ​​“The caregivers need support too, and they need care,” he said. “It’s juggling the day-to-day life that continues to go on if there’s a diagnosis in the family. You still have to kind of keep all the balls in the air, and there’s tremendous stress in that, for them.”​​​

The Made of Honor star said that as a caregiver, it’s challenging to keep a “sense of normality and routine” when you’re trying to “take care of yourself” and “be strong for everyone.” ​“There’s sometimes when you’re just not strong,” Dempsey stated. “You need to step back and be supported.” ​

Dempsey shared his caregiving story as part of fellow actor Bradley Cooper’s new documentary, Caregiving, which is now streaming on PBS. ​​Cooper, 50, was a caregiver for his father, who battled lung cancer until he died in 2011. ​​“I moved into my childhood home for the last eight months of my father’s life, and I had to process my feelings, but when I was in the act of caregiving, it was very fulfilling,” Cooper shared at a recent UN screening.

​​Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, is also a caregiver to her legendary husband, who was diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder, in 2022. The Die Hard star was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia shortly thereafter.

​​“Bruce’s condition has progressed, and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD),” his family said in a statement at the time. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.” ​

For more caregiving information, find tips on managing medical matters, getting legal paperwork and managing in-home care at aarp.org.