KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Friday marks what would have been Pat Summitt's 72nd birthday.
The legendary Lady Vols coach won eight NCAA championships and never had a single losing season. She died after years of battling early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
In honor of her and Alzheimer's Awareness Month, the Pat Summitt Foundation is hosting its third annual Pat's Day of Giving. The foundation is also unveiling "Pat's Gameplan" — a guide for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's and dementia.
VFL Peyton Manning, who was named an honorary co-chair of the foundation's advisory board, wished Coach Summitt a happy birthday on Friday.
The foundation said around 11 million Americans serve as primary caregivers for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. The foundation said it awarded around $1.3 million in 2023 to UT Extension Family and Consumer Sciences to develop the guide.
The guide's main goal is to give knowledge and support to caregivers who may no feel equipped for their role, and who may not know how to find support.
"Caregivers tend to report higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression compared to caregivers of elders without Alzheimer’s disease or dementia," the foundation said online. "Throughout the website, caregivers can find information about caring for patients with dementia, and caring for themselves."
It aims to be a one-stop-shop for caregivers, and Pat's Gameplan is expected to grow as time goes on, adding increasingly in-depth topics based on caregiver needs.
"It's an online training guide for our caregivers. They have a very unique role in the life of someone who is battling this disease, and we have just noticed that there were a lot of gaps in the resources that were available to them — that really helped prepare them and answered their questions and really just helped them meet their greatest needs," said Morgan Vance from the Pat Summitt Foundation.
The guide is not meant to only be a resource for East Tennessee caregivers. It aims to provide support for caregivers nationwide.