Global Courant 2023-05-31 02:06:42
The former first lady is 95.
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia, The Carter Center announced Tuesday.
“She still lives happily at home with her husband, enjoying Spring in Plains and visiting her loved ones,” The Carter Center said in a statement.
The Carter Center pointed to the first lady’s advocacy for mental health and said it was making the announcement to reduce stigma.
“We recognize, as she did more than half a century ago, that stigma is often a barrier that prevents individuals and their families from seeking and receiving much-needed support,” the statement continued. “We hope that sharing our family’s news will spark more important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctors’ offices across the country.”
As the founder of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, Ms. Carter often remarked that there are only four types 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. said The Carter Center. “The universality of caregiving is evident in our family, and we experience the joys and challenges of this journey.”
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn prior to a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium September 30, 2018 in Atlanta.
Scott Cunningham/Getty Images, FILE
Later on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to news of Rosalynn Carter’s condition.
“The Bidens have kept in touch with President Carter’s team to make sure their family knows they are definitely in the minds of the President and First Lady,” she said.
Former President Jimmy Carter himself has been receiving hospice care since February after a string of hospitalizations.
The Carters are the longest-married presidential couple in history, marrying in 1946. At 98, Jimmy Carter is the oldest living former president and the longest-lived former president in US history.
He and Rosalynn Carter, 95, founded The Carter Center in Georgia in 1982, shortly after Jimmy Carter lost reelection to Ronald Reagan.
In the decades since, The Carter Center has grown into a well-known international humanitarian force, focusing on public health and human rights, among other things. The Carters have also become known for their longstanding association with Habitat for Humanity.
Molly Nagle of ABC News contributed to this report.
