Adviser LeadingAge New York Winter 2014 Winter 2014 | Page 8

Feature
Glen Campbell-I’ll Be Me is a Must See

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ountry music legend Glen Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease
in 2011. Instead of going gently into the disease, Glen and his family decided to
make a difference by making his battle a public call for action. Knowing that Glen
was already struggling with the early symptoms of the
disease, the family decided to go on a farewell tour,
inviting cameras along to document and memorialize
this iconic artist’s journey. The first country artist to
cross over to the pop charts, many of today’s most
successful singer/songwriters consider Glen to be in the
elite echelon of country music legends and a source of
inspiration that has guided their music and careers.
Anticipating a short three-week tour, the final emotional
roller coaster of a journey, the “Good Bye Tour”, resulted
in 150 nationwide performances. The cameras rolled for it
all resulting in over 1,100 hours of footage. Glen CampbellI’ll Be Me is the documentary film that emerged from the
raw footage. It is an amazingly well-crafted depiction of
Glen’s courageous battle.

It is also a raw and honest film about the journey of
caregivers. This film makes history by presenting a brutally
straightforward depiction of a high-visibility favorite son’s
journey into his mind and the real effect on those who care for him. It offers real
visibility to the subject and a focal point for engaging people in dialogue that can
result in real results in the battle for a cure and much-needed support to those going
through the journey and th eir caregivers.

From left: Trevor Albert;
Greg O’Brien; James Keach;
Ashley Campbell and
Kim Campbell.

October 24

VIP RECEPTION
Sponsored by:
The touching story of Glen’s courageous battle with Alzheimer’s
waged through the “undying bond between
Glen and his wife, resilience and the power of song.”

The film was shown at the LeadingAge Annual Conference in Nashville
to an auditorium of thousands. When the lights came up there wasn’t
a dry eye in the room. The many hours of raw footage were translated
into a powerful film – from Glen’s own frustration and decline, to the
heartbroken look on his cherished daughter Ashley’s face when he forgets
something important in their relationship, to his wife Kim’s desire to keep
Glen happy and safe at great emotional cost.
This film is important to the future of long term care and services. Not
only is the film important on its own merits, but in conjunction with the
(See Glen Campbell on page 8)

According to the national Alzheimer’s Association: (http://www.alzfdn.org/AboutAlzheimers/statistics.html)
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It is estimated that as many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s disease
As our population ages, the disease affects a greater percentage of Americans. The numbers of people age 65 and older will more
than double between 2010 and 2050 – to 88.5 million or 20 percent of the population; likewise, those 85 and older will rise threefold, to 19 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
It is estimated that about a half million Americans younger than age 65 have some form of dementia, including Alzheimer’s
disease. (This is referred to as young onset or early onset.)
It is estimated that one to four family members act as caregivers for each individual with Alzheimer’s disease.
Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Winter 2014