Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter’s wife, has been diagnosed three months after her husband entered hospice care at their home in Georgia.
The 95-year-old former first lady “continues to live happily” with her husband, is “enjoying spring,” and “visits with loved ones,” according to the Carter Center.
Carter and Rosalynn have been living together at home since February, when he declared he would forgo further medical intervention following a string of hospital hospitalizations. Carter is the longest-lived president and has been married to Rosalynn for 76 years.
No further details were released about her condition, and the Carter Center was not expected to release further information.
Last week, their grandson Jason said the couple were in ‘good spirits’, having ice cream together as they welcomed family members into their modest Plains home
‘Mrs. Carter has been the nation’s leading mental health advocate for much of her life,’ the Carter Center said on Tuesday.
‘First in the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, then in the White House, and later at The Carter Center, she urged improved access to care and decreased stigma about issues surrounding mental health.
‘One in 10 older Americans have dementia, a condition that affects overall mental health. We recognize, as she did more than half a century ago, that stigma is often a barrier that keeps individuals and their families from seeking and getting much-needed support.
‘We hope sharing our family’s news will increase important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctor’s offices around the country.
‘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.