Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, her family says

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, her family says

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Rosalynn Carter, a former first lady and ardent supporter of mental health services, has been identified as having dementia, her family announced on Tuesday.

According to a statement made by the family and published by The Carter Center, "she continues to live happily at home with her husband."

Following multiple trips in and out of the hospital, former President Jimmy Carter received hospice care at the couple's Plains, Georgia, home less than four months ago.

He is the longest-living president at 98 years old. Between 1977 through 1981, the couple held office in the White House. They established The Carter Center in Atlanta in 1982 with the joint intention of resolving international crises, advancing freedom and democracy, and enhancing health.

However, the family emphasized that Rosalynn, who is now 95, had started her work to de-stigmatize mental health disease even before the facility had its doors open.

She advocated for better access to care and a reduction in the stigma associated with mental health problems, they said, first in the Georgia Governor's Mansion, then in the White House, and last at The Carter Center.

She writes on the isolation, pain, and suffering that caregivers frequently experience in her 1994 book Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers. She stated that she wished to also provide some assistance by offering advice on best practices that had been gathered through numerous national surveys.

Focusing attention on you, the family caregiver, is one of the most significant missions I can carry out in my capacity as a former first lady, she wrote.

The goal of this book is to support you, empathize with you, and urge you to speak up for your particular needs. Of course, I hope that this book will help you give better care, but I also hope that it will make your life simpler and more pleasurable.

The Carters have been married for the longest presidential marriage in American history; they first met when he was 3 and she was 1 day old. On July 7, 2022, they commemorated their 76th wedding anniversary. They had four kids together, as well as 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.