{"id":6446,"date":"2025-06-06T13:19:50","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T17:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/?p=6446"},"modified":"2025-06-06T13:19:50","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T17:19:50","slug":"former-mash-star-alan-alda-says-managing-his-parkinsons-disease-is-now-almost-a-full-time-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/2025\/06\/former-mash-star-alan-alda-says-managing-his-parkinsons-disease-is-now-almost-a-full-time-job.html","title":{"rendered":"Former ‘M*A*S*H’ Star Alan Alda Says Managing His Parkinson’s Disease is Now ‘Almost a Full-Time Job’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: lev radin \/ Shutterstock.com | Right: David Fowler \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At 89 years old, actor Alan Alda isn\u2019t letting Parkinson\u2019s disease slow him down. Best known for his iconic role in “M*A*S*H”, Alda was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s in 2015. In a recent interview with People<\/em> magazine, he shared that managing the illness has become \u201calmost a full-time job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt used to be just a part-time job,\u201d Alda said. \u201cNow it\u2019s a full-time job keeping track of all these little solutions. But it keeps me always looking for the funny side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, Alda approaches each day with creativity and optimism. \u201cAlmost every day I\u2019m finding a new way to do something,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little like a game. I\u2019ve found whatever the little problem is\u2014if I keep at it, I can eventually solve it. And then I feel like a million bucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

He even joked, \u201cMaking progress\u2026 I didn\u2019t say in which direction!\u201d<\/p>\n

Alda also lives with face blindness, or prosopagnosia, which makes recognizing faces difficult. Still, he continues to act. Most recently, he made a cameo in Tina Fey\u2019s Netflix adaptation of his 1981 film “The Four Seasons.” He plays a father who gives quirky marriage advice\u2014something Alda knows a lot about.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been married to his wife Arlene for 68 years. They met in college back in 1956 and bonded at a party when they were the only two people willing to eat rum cake off the floor. \u201cThat\u2019s when I knew she was the one,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s something about flirting over food. And she laughed at my jokes\u2014that meant a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Alda leans on Arlene more than ever. \u201cI don\u2019t have dexterity with my fingers the way I used to, so sometimes she has to tear a package open for me,\u201d he said. \u201cShe\u2019s so good-natured about it. I\u2019m always saying, \u2018Thank you.\u2019 I don\u2019t get proud. I get glad that I can do something. Proud seems like a waste of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also shared her secret to a long marriage: \u201cThe secret to marriage is a short memory.\u201d Alda added, \u201cYou can get used to somebody, no matter who it is. I\u2019ve always thought if the Pope and Mother Teresa were a couple, after a few years, they\u2019d have to work it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as his health presents daily challenges, Alda remains focused on finding joy and staying present. His story is a powerful reminder that no matter what we face, we can still choose to see the good, hold on to gratitude, and even find a reason to laugh.<\/p>\n

As Alda put it, \u201cIt\u2019s a way to have a good time under poor circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At 89 years old, actor Alan Alda isn\u2019t letting Parkinson\u2019s disease slow him down. Best known for his iconic role in “M*A*S*H”, Alda was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s in 2015. In a recent interview with People magazine, he shared that managing the illness has become \u201calmost a full-time job.\u201d \u201cIt used to be just a part-time…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":6449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer 'M*A*S*H' Star Alan Alda Says Managing His Parkinson's Disease is Now 'Almost a Full-Time Job'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alan Alda, 89, shares how he manages Parkinson\u2019s with humor, love, and faithfulness\u2014plus the secret behind his 68-year marriage.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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