Rosalynn Carter, the 95-year-old wife of former President Jimmy Carter, has been diagnosed with dementia, the couple’s charity organization said Tuesday.
She continues to “live happily at home” in Georgia with her husband, the nonprofit Carter Center said in a statement that did not provide further details about the diagnosis. Dementia refers generally to mental impairment, and can come in various forms.
“We hope sharing our family’s news will increase important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctor’s offices around the country,” said the statement. “We do not expect to comment further and ask for understanding for our family.”
In February, the Carter Center said that Jimmy Carter, 98, had decided to receive hospice care at his home instead of continuing to medically fight an illness that threatens his life. The nonprofit did not cite an illness at the time.
Rosalynn Carter, nicknamed “Steel Magnolia,” proved a powerful voice in her own right during and after her Democratic husband’s one-term presidency, which lasted from 1977 to 1981. She focused on improving mental health care, battling gender inequality and furthering human rights in the U.S. and abroad.
Her husband, the 39th American president and a one-time Georgia peanut farmer, made several short hospital stays prior to his hospice decision, according to the Carter Center.
Jimmy Carter has lived longer than any other U.S. president. He earned that distinction in 2019 when he reached 94 years and 172 days old.
He and his wife are famously close-knit.