Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia and is living 'happily at home' with Jimmy Carter

Former first lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter, has been diagnosed with dementia, according to a statement from her family on May 30, 2023. The announcement comes more than three months after her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, began receiving hospice care at his home in Georgia. According to PEOPLE, the Carter family said in their statement that Rosalynn "continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones." Former President Carter, 98, and his wife, Rosalynn, 95, the oldest living first lady, served one term in office from 1977-1981.

"Mrs. Carter has been the nation's leading mental health advocate for much of her life. 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 mental health issues," the statement by The Carter Center read. "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."

The statement added, "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 challenges of this journey. We do not expect to comment further and ask for understanding for our family and everyone across the country serving in a caregiver role."

According to the BBC, Rosalynn was the honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health and helped pass a bill to increase expenditure on mental health services for disadvantaged communities. Presidential historian Michael Beschloss hailed Rosalynn on Twitter as "a magnificent champion for mental health in America for a half-century." Raphael Warnock, Georgia Senator, said he was praying for the former first lady and her husband "during these tough and tender times. So grateful for their continuing example of service and sacrifice." After their presidential term, Rosalynn founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, which offers support and funding to Americans who care for aging families and loved ones.

During the 1970s, when Rosalynn was campaigning for various causes as the first lady of Georgia, she said that her husband, Jimmy, had given her the confidence to do things she was afraid of. "I remember when we were in the Georgia governor's mansion, I used to greet tourists and talk to everybody who came through. One day, Jimmy told me I was going to have to make a speech. I was so nervous, and he said, 'Why don't you just do what you do at the governor's mansion when you're talking to the tourists?' So I made the speech with no problem, ran to the telephone and called Jimmy to say, 'I did it!' I did it because I had to do it," she revealed in Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas' "What Makes a Marriage Last."

After the Carters left the White House in 1981, the duo co-founded The Carter Center, a private, non-profit institution based in Atlanta, on a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering. The center seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy and improve health.