Glen Campbell “I’ll Be Me” Movie Documents His Final Years With Alzheimer’s Disease

Country music legend Glen Campbell is dying of Alzheimer’s disease. In an effort to raise awareness of the illness he and his family made the brave decision to bare their lives by creating a documentary of Glen’s farewell tour. I highly recommend that you watch this film with your loved ones… and a box of Kleenex. One of the most remarkable aspects of Glen’s disease was the preservation of his musical abilities despite severe cognitive impairment. Although he rarely knew where he was or even how to tie his shoes, he was able to perform songs in front of live audiences. With redirection and prompting, he managed to participate in 151 concerts across the United States within the span of ~18 months. Accompanied by his gifted guitarist son and daughter, and his doting fourth wife Kim, Campbell was able to maintain his musical self for longer than his physicians ever anticipated. The documentary held nothing back – from violent outbursts brought on by paranoid delusions of golf club theft, to inappropriate table manners, to hypersexuality triggered by too high a dose of Aricept – the trials and tribulations of being a caregiver for someone with dementia were painfully acute. In brief moments of insight, Glen himself would manage to stammer a “Thank you. For being so nice to me. I have been an ass.” One of the saddest moments of the movie was a brief clip of his daughter testifying before congress. She explains that memories are what ...
Source: Better Health - Category: American Health Authors: Tags: Announcements Medical Art Alzheimer's Alzheimer's Association Aricept Behavioral Problems Cognitive Impairment Country Music Dementia Documentary End Stage Alzheimer's Glen Campbell I'll Be Me Mayo Clinic Movie Movie Review Source Type: blogs