Former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia.
- Rosalynn Carter is the wife of 39th US president Jimmy Carter.
- She served as the first lady from 1977 to 1981.
- In February, Jimmy Carter also announced that he would begin hospice care due to deteriorating health.
The family of former United States president Jimmy Carter has announced that his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, has dementia.
In a press release on Tuesday, the Carter family stated that Rosalynn, 95, will continue to live with her husband at their residence in Plains, Georgia.
The statement also acknowledged Rosalynn’s longtime role as a mental health advocate among the reasons for going public with the news.
“We recognise, as she [Rosalynn] did more than half a century ago, that stigma is often a barrier that keeps people and their families from seeking and getting much-needed support,” the statement reads.
“We hope sharing our family’s news will increase important conversations at kitchen tables and doctor’s offices around the country.”
No further comment from the family is expected. In February, 98-year-old Jimmy Carter, the oldest living former president, also announced that he would begin hospice care due to deteriorating health.
The former president also said he would forego medical interventions, opting for in-home care.
He was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 but took the news in stride, stating that he was “perfectly at ease with whatever comes” because he had lived “an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence”.
The Carters have been married for nearly 77 years and have four children. Prominent figures in their small Georgia community, the couple has limited visits to family and close friends in recent months.
But before their health problems, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had an active life post-presidency.
Following his defeat in the 1980 presidential race, Jimmy worked with Rosalynn to found the Carter Center, a non-profit dedicated to addressing suffering and supporting democracy worldwide. Among its successes is the campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a debilitating parasitic infection that has dropped to 13 documented cases in the last year.
According to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Rosalynn has worked closely on mental health, caregiving, childhood immunisation, human rights and conflict resolution issues.
She also authored several books, including an autobiography and a book on assisting those with mental health issues. And at home in Plains, Georgia, she served as a deacon at Maranatha Baptist Church, where her husband taught Sunday school.