Glen Campbell’s wife of 32 years, Kim Campbell, had to make a really tough decision recently. That was to put her husband, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, into a long term care facility after caring for him since his diagnosis in 2011.
However, his eldest daughter, Debby, does not approve and wasn’t even informed of the decision. She claims his five older children, who are not Kim’s, found out through news reports that their father had been placed in the facility. Though this resonates closely to the debacle with Casey Kasem, Kim Campbell is actually being very open about the decision she made on her husband’s treatment.
“It is crushingly sad to see him afflicted with Alzheimer’s but indulging those feelings does not help him,” Campbell wrote in an email defending her decision, adding, “I am his wife and no one wants him home more than me but I must do what is in his best interest.”
It would be a terribly hard call to make, and Kim Campbell says that she is doing all that she can to make the end of Glen Campbell‘s life as happy as can possibly be for someone living with Alzheimer’s.
“He has longtime friends here in Nashville who come to play music for him and give him hugs,” Kim Campbell said. “He has activities and therapies to stimulate him and help him experience daily moments of success. His life is filled with love and laughter and he is being cared for round the clock by people who specialize in Alzheimer’s care and happen to adore him.”
Debby doesn’t agree with his transfer to the long-term facility. Debby lives in Arizona, but insists she comes to visit as much as she can. She also says that she believes that Glen Campbell’s family that lives close to his home in Nashville, Tenn. doesn’t take good care of him.
Debby is especially close to Glen Campbell, as she made up his band and toured with him on the farewell tour they played after his diagnosis.
“He does recognize me, and it comes and goes,” Debby Campbell said. “He always knows that I’m a loved one, but whether I’m his daughter or his sister, sometimes he struggles.”
It’s always sad when someone you love is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and the family knows it will be a long, debilitating decline. Hopefully Kim and Debby can reach a truce so that the rest of Glen Campbell’s days can be filled with peace.
Image Via YouTube
