Los Angeles, Aug 24 (IANS): Actor Owen Wilson has shared that his father Robert Wilson is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and the whole family is coping with it.

In his first public comment about his father's illness, the 46-year-old actor said it's "a rough thing", reports aceshowbiz.com.

"It's one of those things where if somebody had said 10 years ago, when my dad and I were joking around, having a putting match, that this is the position your dad's going to be in, where he basically needs 24-hour care, you'd think, 'Gosh, I won't be able to handle that. That's just not possible'," Owen said.

"You just have to do your best to deal with it. You've got no choice but to accept it. And then, you sort of still look for the things to be grateful for," he added.

Robert, now 74 years old, was an advertising executive and operator of a public television station KERA back in the 1960s. He was the one who propelled Jim Lehrer to become the host of "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer".

Owen added: "For me and my brothers (Luke Wilson and Andrew Wilson), there just wasn't a bigger influence on us."