Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, her family said Tuesday, a diagnosis that comes as her husband, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, is receiving hospice care.
The Carter family said the former first lady, 95, “continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains (Georgia) and visits with loved ones.”
“We hope sharing our family’s news will increase important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctor’s offices around the country,” the family said in a statement. “As the founder of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, Mrs. Carter often noted that there are only four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers; those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”
The Carter family announced in February that Jimmy Carter, 98, was receiving hospice care, opting out of additional medical intervention after a string of hospital visits.
The Carters are the longest-married first couple in U.S. history. They have often called themselves “full partners.”
Rosalynn Carter has continued her advocacy for mental health care at the Carter Center, the humanitarian organization the couple founded in the 1980s that’s also behind global peace and health programs.
The Carters volunteered for decades with Habitat for Humanity.
The Tuesday announcement prompted an outpouring of support. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have stayed in touch with Carter’s team to “ensure that their family knows they are certainly in the president and first lady’s thoughts,” according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., on Tuesday said he is praying for the Carters “during these tough and tender times.”
“So grateful for their continuing example of service and sacrifice,” he shared.
In other news – Nine people including three children injured in Hollywood beach shooting
Nine people have been injured in a shooting on a boardwalk by Hollywood Beach, Florida. Several of the victims were taken to a nearby children’s hospital.
However, authorities have not yet released the ages of the victims who included six adults and three children. A preliminary investigation has found that an altercation between two groups resulted in shots being fired.Learn More
