Pat Summitt’s smart decision to keep coaching with Alzheimer’s

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt revealed yesterday that she had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease three months ago. That’s a devastating diagnosis for the 59-year-old University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach, but one framed with a glimmer of optimism. Summitt said she would continue coaching during the upcoming season with the aid of her assistant coaches.

“I’ve got a great staff and great support system, and I’m going to stick my neck out and do what I always do,” Summitt told the Washington Post. Although she had been warned by her lawyer that university officials could terminate her contract due to her condition, her bosses were extremely supportive.

Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and Athletic Director Joan Cronan cried when Summitt told them the news, according to the Post, and Cheek told her,“You are now and will always be our coach.” Both of them gave her permission to work as long as she is able. (That could be at least partly because she’s garnered the most victories of any basketball coach and had a great season last year despite the memory lapses.)

Work can be extraordinarily beneficial for those in the initial stages of the disease, said Dr. Dorene Rentz, co-director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“My guess is that her most salient symptom is her memory loss,” said Rentz. “Returning to work with help from assistants is exactly what we encourage early-onset folks to do.” Summitt’s professional responsibilities will not only give her a psychological boost but could actually slow the progression of the disease by keeping her brain agile.

“The worst thing she can do, in terms of her disease progression, is to retire, sit home, and watch TV,” Rentz said.

Work decisions, however, can be much more difficult for those in life or death jobs like firefighters, pilots, or surgeons, she added. Patients in those types of professions would probably need to alter their professional responsibilities so that they wouldn’t be putting others at risk during memory lapses.

While Summitt said she hopes to continue coaching for the next three years, she’ll probably have to take it month by month. There’s no hard and fast rule for when patients are usually advised to stop working, but Rentz and other experts believe it’s best to quit when the demands of the job become too anxiety-provoking due to severe or unremitting memory lapses.

There’s no doubt, though, that Summitt’s decision to remain as a coach could set an important precedent for others suffering from Alzheimer’s. “One of the tendencies is to withdraw from friends and society when memory lapses occur,” said Rentz. “But those with the disease shouldn’t be made to feel embarrassed; we really need to embrace them.”