WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, the 96-year-old wife of former President Jimmy Carter, has entered hospice care at home, the Carter Center said in a statement on Friday.
In May 2023, the Carter family had said the former first lady had dementia but was continuing to live happily at the couple’s home in rural Plains, Georgia.
“Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at home. She and President Carter are spending time with each other and their family,” said the statement, issued on behalf of their grandson, Jason Carter.
“The Carter family continues to ask for privacy and remains grateful for the outpouring of love and support.”
The statement did not give any more details.
The Carters are the longest-married presidential couple, having wed in 1946 when he was 21 and she was 18. Jimmy Carter, 99, is in hospice care after deciding in February to decline additional medical intervention.
After his solo term ended in 1981, he also has enjoyed more post-White House years than any president before him. Rosalynn Carter played an instrumental role during those years, including as part of the nonprofit Carter Center the couple established in 1982 and the Habitat for Humanity charity.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil, David Ljunggren and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Eric Beech, Tim Ahmann and Jonathan Oatis)
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