Duck Dynasty star Jase Robertson revealed that his father, Phil Robertson, had been diagnosed with the “early stages” of Alzheimer’s disease.
During an episode of Unashamed with the Robertson Family podcast, Jase revealed that the family had been “trying to figure out” what Phil’s diagnosis was, adding that the doctors were “sure that he has some sort of blood disease.”
Jase added that along with the “blood disease,” his father had the “early stages” of Alzheimer’s.
“Phil’s not doing well,” Jase explained. “I think I spoke on the 1,000th podcast, we were kind of trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, they’re sure that he has some sort of blood disease that’s causing all kinds of problems.”
Jase added that it had “accelerated” and was “causing problems with his entire body.”
“And, he has early stages of Alzheimer’s,” Jase continued. “So, if you put those things together, he’s just not doing well. He’s really struggling.”
Alan Robertson, the oldest son of Phil Robertson, noted that their father had “good days and bad days,” just like “anybody with Alzheimer’s.”
Alzheimer’s disease is described as being “the most common cause of dementia” and is also “the biological process that begins with the appearance of a buildup of proteins in the form of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
The Mayo Clinic estimated that roughly 6.9 million people in the United States ages “65 and older live with Alzheimer’s disease,” with 70 percent of the people with Alzheimer’s being “75 and older.”
“We’re trying to do a lot of things to try to figure out how to make him more comfortable, and maybe help with his memory,” Jase added. “There’s a lot of different things that we’re doing.”
