‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Phil Robertson Diagnosed With Alzheimer’s Disease

“Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson’s son says the patriarch of the family is dealing with some major health issues.

On the Dec. 6 episode of the “Unashamed with the Robertson Family” podcast, Phil Robertson’s son Jase, 55, revealed that his father, 78, is in the “early stages” of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Phil’s not doing well,” he said. “I think I spoke on the 1000th podcast. We were trying to figure out the diagnosis, but according to the doctors, they are sure that he has some sort of blood disease that’s causing all kinds of problems.”

Jase noted that the blood disease has “accelerated” and is “causing problems” with his dad’s “entire body.”

“He has early stages of Alzheimer’s so if you put those things together, he’s just not doing well,” Jase said. “He’s really struggling.”

TODAY.com reached out to the Robertson family for comment.

Seeing his health take a downward turn has been really hard for Robertson. Jase explained that the patriarch wants to return to work on his family’s podcast, but is unable to accept the reality of the situation.

“I’m like, ‘Well Phil, you can barely walk around without crying out in pain,’ and I was like, ‘Your memory is not what it once was,'” Jase recalled telling his dad. “He’s like, ‘Tell me about it.’ So he is literally unable to, I think he would agree to just sit down and have a conversation.”

Due to Robertson’s declining health, Jase said that he and his family are “trying to do a lot of things to figure out how to make him more comfortable, and maybe help with his memory.”

“We’ve got a team of doctors and they’re all in agreement that there’s no curing what he has,” he said. “And so, what do you do? We’re trying to make him a little more comfortable.”

According to the National Institute on Aging, “memory problems are typically one of the first signs” of Alzheimer’s disease and this can lead to more severe symptoms, confusion and behavioral changes.