The family of former first lady Rosalynn Carter announced this week that she suffering from dementia but will continue living at home with her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, CBS News reported.
In a statement released by the Carter Center, the family confirmed that the 95-year-old former first lady has dementia but did not say when she was diagnosed.
Former President Carter has been in hospice care at the couple’s home in Plains, Georgia since February.
According to the statement, Mrs. Carter is continuing to “live happily at home” where she is enjoying the spring and “visits with her loved ones.”
The Carter family noted in the statement that Mrs. Carter spent her public life advocating for those affected by mental illness and for those who provide caregiving to loved ones, adding that the family is now “experiencing the joy and the challenges of this journey.”
Only family and close friends have visited the Carters at their home since the former president announced in February that he was forgoing further medical intervention after a series of brief hospital stays.
While her husband was serving both as governor of Georgia and as president, Mrs. Carter used her platform to advocate for mental health and work to address the stigma associated with it.
After Carter left office, Rosalynn continued advocating for mental health with the Carter Center. She and the former president also traveled extensively to promote democracy worldwide and fight disease in developing countries.
The Carter family noted in its statement that one in ten older Americans suffer from dementia and the stigma from it can often be a “barrier that keeps individuals and their families” from seeking the support needed.
Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was delivered into the world on August 18, 1927, in Plains, Georgia. The nurse who delivered her was Jimmy Carter’s mother.
Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter married on July 7, 1946.
