She comes from Middle East and Hollywood royalty, but it is Princess Yasmin Aga Khan's 20 years of hard, sometimes grueling, work that is being honored this week by the Utah Alzheimer's Association.
The daughter of former U.N. ambassador from Pakistan Prince Ali Kahn and film actress Rita Hayworth will receive the association's lifetime achievement award at its annual fund-raising gala Friday, March 22, at the Marriott downtown. Yasmin became conservator and caretaker of her famous mother when the erratic behavior that had ended her movie career was finally diagnosed as Alzheimer's in 1981. The disease ultimately took her life in 1987 at age 69.
"She was ill for many years, probably since her mid-50s, and I didn't know what it was," said Princess Yasmin, who has lived in Utah since 1995. "We happened to be standing in front of a mirror one day and she asked, 'Who are you?' I never knew for sure after that if she recognized me again."
Early on, Hayworth had major mood swings and would suddenly become angry and accusing for no apparent reason. "She got so she couldn't communicate at all. I think she could feel the warmth of her family, and as much as she could feel secure I think she felt secure. But that's what is so frustrating about Alzheimer's — you don't know what they might be feeling or wanting. You can see pain in their eyes, but you don't know what it is."
A good portion of the frustrations family members might be feeling can be mitigated by getting in touch with local Alzheimer's associations, she said.
"I have known many people whose loved ones are acting disoriented or having extreme mood swings or being paranoid, but they are afraid of getting help for fear it might be Alzheimer's," she said. "And if they do find out it is, they will cut themselves off from others and just try to cope by themselves. But without the help of physicians and from the association in New York, I don't know what I would have done. These are very caring organizations; that's what saved me."
Princess Yasmin is a member of the national Board of Directors of the Alzheimer's Association, serving as honorary vice chairman. With headquarters in Chicago, the association has a network of local chapters across the nation that provide support and services for people with Alzheimer's, their families and caregivers and work to increase public awareness and research funding, as well as advocate for Alzheimer's legislation and public social policies.
Princess Yasmin is also an honorary board member for the Utah Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, which provides help to the 28,000 Utahns with the disease.
She is also the general chairman for the Rita Hayworth Galas held annually in New York and Chicago. Since their inception in 1984, the galas have raised more than $32 million for the Alzheimer's Association and research. She was president of Alzheimer's Disease International, which has 57 member nations.
More than 4 million Americans have Alzheimer's; 10 million more are expected to be diagnosed by the middle of this century, according to the association. The annual total cost of providing care for patients will reach at least $375 billion by that time, enough to bankrupt both Medicare and Medicaid.
For more information about the gala or the Utah association, call 801-274-1944 or 1-800-371-6694.
E-MAIL: jthalman@desnews.com