Former first lady Rosalynn Carter diagnosed with dementia
Dementia diagnosis FILE PHOTO: Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn prior to the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Carter Center announced on Tuesday that the former first lady has been diagnosed with dementia. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
By Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
The family of former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that his wife, Rosalynn Carter, has been diagnosed with dementia, according to a statement obtained by WSB-TV.
“She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones,” the statement, released by the family’s Carter Center, said.
“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.”
Carter, 95, made advocating for mental health a priority for decades beginning in 1970, when her husband was running for governor of Georgia.
“I want my mental health work to carry on even after there is no more stigma, which I’m not sure will come in my lifetime, but I hope it will,” she has said, according to WSB. “I wanted to take mental illnesses and emotional disorders out of the closet, to let people know it is all right to admit having a problem without the fear of being called crazy.”
Carter served as honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health in 1977 and, two years later, became the first sitting U.S. first lady to address the World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly to talk about the commission’s findings. Her work contributed to the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980, which was aimed at protecting people with mental illness from discrimination.
In 1991, Carter established the Carter Center Mental Health Program. Seven years later, she wrote the book “Helping Someone with Mental Illness: A Compassionate Guide for Family, Friends, and Caregivers.” In November 2000, she was awarded the U.S. Public Health Service’s highest award, the Surgeon General’s Medallion.
The former first lady’s diagnosis was announced months after President Carter, 98, entered hospice care.
“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,” family members said in Tuesday’s statement. “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.”
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1971 Jimmy Carter with his wife Rosalynn Carter pose for a photo in Georgia in 1971. (Stan Wayman/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1976 Then-Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, share a moment aboard his campaign plane on October 24, 1976. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1976 Jimmy Carter, his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, pose for a family portrait in 1976. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1976 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter wave to the assembled Democratic National Convention after he accepts his party's nomination for president in 1976. (Shepard Sherbell/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1977 Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, pose for a photo in Washington D.C. on April 25, 1977. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1977 First Lady Rosalyn Carter and President Jimmy Carter greet well-wishers as they dance during one of their Inaugural Balls in Washington DC on January 20, 1977. (Photo by Warren K Leffler/PhotoQuest/Getty Images) (Warren K Leffler/PhotoQuest via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1977 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter return to the White House on December 26, 1977, after spending Christmas in Plains, Georgia with their family and friends. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1978 First lady Rosalynn Carter pats President Jimmy Carter's cheek during the Democratic National fundraiser held in his honor on January 20, 1978. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1978 President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter dance at a White House Congressional Ball on December 13, 1978. (Marion S. Trikosko/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1978 President Jimmy Carter, with first lady Rosalynn behind him, addresses a crowd from the stage at a White House Jazz Concert on the south lawn on the 25th anniversary of the Newport jazz festival, in June 1978. (Chuck Fishman/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1979 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are seen at the arrival of the deputy premier of China, Deng Xiaoping, in Washington, DC on January 29, 1979. (CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1979 Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, relax in the sun aboard the riverboat The Delta Queen on August 20, 1979, after the craft left Dubuque, Iowa. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1980 Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn Carter pose for a photo in 1980 in New York City. (PL Gould/IMAGES/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 1983 Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn at the Sotheby's Auction in New York City, NY, October 4, 1983. (Yvonne Hemsey/Liaison Agency via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2002 Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, attend the start of the Habitat for Humanity -- Jimmy Carter Work Project 2002 at Durban's International Convention Center on June 2, 2002, where local and international volunteers built houses for low-income families. (Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2005 Rosalynn Carter and former President Jimmy Carter talk during the second day of the Habitat for Humanity - 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project at Benton Harbor in Michigan. (R. Diamond/WireImage via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2008 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter arrive onstage at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. (Brooks Kraft/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2010 About 300 volunteers, including former President Jimmy Carter, and wife, Rosalynn, worked on houses in Baltimore, Maryland and Annapolis on Tuesday, October 5, 2010, as part of a week-long nationwide project with Habitat for Humanity. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2013 Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter attend dedication ceremonies for the new George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, Thursday, April 25, 2013. (Paul Moseley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2014 Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter attend church on Easter Sunday at Maranatha Baptist Church on April 20, 2014 in Plains, Georgia. (Chris McKay/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2015 Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter arrive at the 2015 MusiCares Person of The Year event honoring Bob Dylan at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 6, 2015. (Michael Tran/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2018 Former President Jimmy Carter walks with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, along with Secret Service along West Church Street following dinner at a friend's home on Saturday August 04, 2018 in Plains, Georgia. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter answer questions during a news conference at a Habitat for Humanity project Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Jimmy Carter wears a bandage after a fall the day before at his home in Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) (Mark Humphrey/AP)
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter (Front row) Former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter and (back row) Jill Biden, wife of former vice president Joe Biden, and former vice president Al Gore attend a funeral service for former US president George H. W. Bush at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC on December 5, 2018. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA - Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn attend a special ribbon cutting ceremony at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Boys & Girls Club on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 in Plains, Ga. Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Unit was one of 30 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide to receive a $50,000 grant through the Lowe's and Boys & Girls Clubs of America Renovation Across the Nation program. (Kevin D. Liles/AP Images for Boys and Girls Clubs of America) (Kevin D. Liles/AP)