Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Diagnosed With Dementia

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, a longtime advocate for expanded access to mental health care, has been diagnosed with dementia, the Carter Center announced Tuesday.

“She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones,” according to a statement from the think tank. 

“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 Carter Center, a nonprofit human rights organization founded by the Carters in 1982, noted that one in 10 older Americans have dementia.

In her efforts to create better mental health care at home, Rosalynn Carter, 95, established an organization for caregivers as well.

“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,” stated the center. 

“The universality of caregiving is clear in our family, and we are experiencing the joy and the challenges of this journey. We do not expect to comment further and ask for understanding for our family and for everyone across the country serving in a caregiver role.”

The announcement comes several months after Jimmy Carter, 98 and the longest-living president in American history, decided to stop receiving medical treatment for melanoma that spread to his liver. He entered home hospice care in February 2023.

The Carters, who have been married for 77 years — the longest marriage in presidential history — often said their bond deepened in their later years, once they were home in Georgia and away from the stresses of Washington, D.C.

Carter served one term in the White House (1977 to 1981). He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advance democracy and human rights and promote economic and social development.

Photo: VOA Twitter.