Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, her family announces

Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady and wife of President Jimmy Carter, has dementia but “continues to live happily at home”, her family has announced.

Ms Carter, 95, is “enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones” despite the diagnosis, The Carter Center announced in a statement on Tuesday.

Former President Jimmy Carter, 98, entered home hospice care in February of this year after a string of brief hospital stays.

“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 issues surrounding mental health,” the statement 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.”

And 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 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.”

Mr Carter, a Democrat, became the 39th US president when he defeated his predecessor Gerald Ford in 1976. He served a single term and was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.

He is the oldest living former president in US history and still lives in a modest home in the rural town of Plains, Georgia, a two-and-a-half-hour drive south of Atlanta.

Mr Carter had a small cancerous mass removed from his liver in 2015. And in 2016, he announced that he would need no further treatment as his cancer had been eliminated by an experimental drug.

The other living former presidents are Donald Trump, 76; Barack Obama, 61; George W Bush, 76; and Bill Clinton, 76.

Mr Carter was a peanut farmer and a US Navy lieutenant before going into politics and serving one term as the governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his peace efforts around the world and is a long-time supporter of and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.