Float in Tournament of Roses will promote Alzheimer's care

The Alzheimer's Association and Pfizer have come together to launch a campaign entitled It's Time To Face Alzheimer's in an effort to promote awareness of the disease and take significant steps to address the problem.


The initiative will ask for personal stories and pictures that help others understand the condition, so that it becomes a nationally recognized issue.


To emphasize the importance of the campaign, there will be a 55-foot long Boomer Train float in the upcoming Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California, according to The Santa Barbara Independent.

It will ring its bell every 70 seconds to represent how often someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's.


There are around 600,000 Californians who suffer from the disease and about 1.1 million unpaid caregivers in the state.


Among others who are responsible for Alzheimer's care, Barbara and Mel Schwimmer will be standing on top of the float as it passes through the crowd. Barbara was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's several years ago and Mel now takes care of her.


"It's exciting," Mel Schwimmer told The Cambrian. "It's another way for people to get involved, another way to increase the exposure."


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