Hayworth: died of Alzheimer’s
On Tuesday night the 32nd Annual Alzheimer’s Association Rita Hayworth Gala was held in New York and the benefit raised over $2 million in Hayworth’s name to fight the illness. To date the Hayworth Gala has raised in the vicinity of $70 million.
Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1980 — though her family believes she had the illness for years before that — Hayworth died of it in 1989 at the age of 68. In the years before Hayworth’s death, daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan began the Hayworth Gala to honour her mother and raise funds to fight against Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s Association
Aga Khan paid a special tribute to Jerry Stone — the founder of the Alzheimer’s Association that sponsors the event — who died at the age of 101. Stone’s wife was a victim of Alzheimer’s and he began the association in her honour in 1980.
The mission of the association is to “eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.”
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. However, there are multiple promising drugs and treatments being researched that have raised hopes a cure can be found within the next decade.
Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide some 44 million people have it; it is estimated the global cost of Alzheimer’s and dementia is $605 billion, or the equivalent of 1 percent of our world’s gross domestic product.
