Jack Hanna reaches advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease, family says
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Alzheimer's disease is continuing to take its toll on one of the nation's best-known and beloved zookeepers.
Jack Hanna, who became famous for appearing on talk shows with animals by his side, has reached an advanced stage of Alzheimer's, his family said.
Hanna, 77, served as director of the Columbus Zoo from around 1978 through 1992 and was first diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2019. The progressive disease is the most common form of dementia and typically causes memory loss and language issues and can eventually affect a person's ability to carry out activities that are part of daily life, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
Read More: Jack Hanna's long goodbye: How Alzheimer's is stripping away the man the world once knew
“We wish we had good news to share, but Jack continues to decline and has all the symptoms one would anticipate with advanced Alzheimer’s. Each day, we do our best to find joy – even when things are challenging. We hope that sharing Jack’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s brings awareness to the disease that affects almost 7 million Americans and their families," the family said in a prepared statement to The Dispatch and People Magazine.
In 2023, the Hanna family allowed the Dispatch to visit the famed zookeeper at his Bigfork, Montana home. Hanna, who called Columbus home for years and was still associated with the zoo, said at the time that he had no memory of whether he'd been to Ohio's capital city.
The Dispatch's visit marked the first time the Hanna family has spoken publicly about their struggle with Alzheimer's. The family said they wanted to speak out to raise awareness about the disease that afflicts an estimated 6.7 million people in the United States, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
“We are so grateful for the love, support, and privacy Central Ohio has shown to Jack and our family since his diagnosis. Jack cherished this community, the Zoo, and The Wilds," the Hanna family recently told The Dispatch. "Our thoughts are with the many families also impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.”
mfilby@dispatch.com
@MaxFilby
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jack Hanna declining as Alzheimer's disease advances, his family says
