Rosalynn Carter Enters Hospice Care 9 Months After Jimmy Carter

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Michael Kovac/WireImage

Rosalynn Carter is in hospice care amid her dementia battle.

“Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at home,” Rosalynn and husband Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason Carter wrote in a Friday, November 17, statement shared via the Carter Center. “She and President Carter are spending time with each other and their family.”

Jason continued: “The Carter family continues to ask for privacy and remains grateful for the outpouring of love and support.”

Rosalynn, 96, married Jimmy, 99, in July 1946 before they welcomed four children: Amy Carter, Jack Carter, James Carter and Donnel Carter. Jimmy won the 1976 presidential election and the Carters moved from Plains, Georgia, to the White House in Washington, D.C. Jimmy served for one term, leaving office in 1981 when Ronald Reagan was elected. The next year, Jimmy and Rosalynn cofounded the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization to advocate for democracy, peace and fighting disease. Jimmy’s work with the Carter Center earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

After Jimmy’s presidential tenure, they returned to Georgia, where they still reside. The Carters announced in February that Jimmy, the 39th president of the U.S., started end-of-life care at the age of 98 following a series of short hospital stays. Jimmy turned 99 on October 1.

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“They’re going to be, like they always are, at home in Plains and with each other,” Jason, 48, told CNN last month during a birthday tribute broadcast. “[They’re] in love, at peace [and] excited about spending some time with family today. We’re all thrilled that we made it here and we’re frankly surprised at this point, but nothing that they do surprises us anymore.”

Nearly three months after Jimmy entered hospice, the Carters announced that Rosalynn had been diagnosed with dementia.

“She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones,” a statement shared in May on the Carter Center website read.

The statement continued: “Mrs. Carter has been the nation’s leading mental health advocate for much of her life. 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.”

In October, Jason — the son of Jack, 76, and his ex-wife Juliet Langford — told CNN that his grandmother is “in a joyous place,” noting that Jimmy and Rosalynn are worried about each other’s health. “They’re living out these days the way they’ve lived everything else, which is in this incredible partnership,” Jason concluded.