Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalynn 95, diagnosed with dementia – three months after her husband, 98, began hospice care in their Georgia home
- The Carter Center confirmed Rosalynn’s diagnosis on Monday
- Said she ‘continues to live happily at home with her husband’ Jimmy, aged 98
- Three months ago, Jimmy entered hospice care and decided to forgo medical intervention after a series of hospital stays
- The couple have been together for 70 years, and they first met as children
Former President Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalynn has been diagnosed with dementia – three months after her husband entered hospice care at their Georgia home.
The Carter Center said the 95-year-old former first lady ‘continues to live happily’ with her husband and is ‘enjoying spring’ and ‘visits with loved ones’.
Rosalynn has been married to Carter – the longest-living president – for 76 years, and they have been together at home since February, when he announced he would forgo further medical intervention after a series of hospital stays.
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.
Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalynn has been diagnosed with dementia – three months after her husband entered hospice care at their home in Georgia. The couple are pictured together with a Boy Scout troop last fall
‘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.
‘The universality of caregiving is clear in our family, and we are experiencing the joy and the challenges of this journey. We do not expect to comment further and ask for understanding for our family and for everyone across the country serving in a caregiver role.’
At the age of 98 he together with his wife Rosalynn, 95, continue to enjoy life’s simple pleasures, including regular servings of his favorite ice cream according to Jason Carter, his grandson. The couple are pictured in 2018 at their home in Plains, Georgia
The Carter Center said the 95-year-old former first lady ‘continues to live happily’ with her husband and is ‘enjoying spring’ and ‘visits with loved ones’. The pair are pictured at the funeral of President George H.W. Bush in 2018
Jimmy and Rosalynn have shared a lifetime together and their romance has stood the test of time, as well as the challenges of Navy deployments, a presidential campaign and his subsequent time in office. They are pictured together in 1946
The longest married couple in U.S. presidential history, they met when Jimmy was just three years old and Rosalynn was a newborn, and celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary on July 7, 2022.
Jimmy and Rosalynn have shared a lifetime together and their romance has stood the test of time, as well as the challenges of Navy deployments, a presidential campaign and his subsequent time in office.
They have pursued humanitarian projects together, helping construct or renovate more than 4,300 affordable homes across the world – one of the greatest charitable achievements of any past president.
The couple first dated in 1945. The 20-year-old Jimmy was attending the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, and stole a kiss from Rosalynn on their first date.
He later told his mother he wanted to marry her.
The pair were married just one year later, when Rosalynn was 18, and Jimmy told People in 2015 that marrying her was the ‘best thing I ever did,’ describing their partnership as the ‘pinnacle’ of his life.
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