ATLANTA (WJW) — Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia, her family announced Tuesday.
“She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones,” the family said in a statement on the Carter Center website.
The news about the 95-year-old comes after her husband Jimmy Carter, 98, was put on hospice care three months ago (as seen in the video at the top of the story).
FILE – The former first lady Rosalynn Carter speaks to the press at conference at The Carter Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. On Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, Carter, the second-oldest U.S. first lady ever, turns 95. (AP Photo/Ron Harris, File) 
Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter in 2018. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) 
FILE – This Oct. 1, 2009 file photo shows former President Jimmy Carter getting a kiss from his wife Rosalynn as she introduces him during a reopening ceremony for the newly redesigned Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) 
FILE – In this Sept. 15, 1966 file photo, then Georgia State Sen. Jimmy Carter hugs his wife, Rosalynn, at his Atlanta campaign headquarters. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/File) 
FILE – In this July 15, 1976 file photo Jimmy Carter with Wife Rosalynn Carter at the National Convention in Madison Square Garden in New York. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo, File) 
FILE – In this Feb. 8, 2017, file photo former President Jimmy Carter, right, and his wife Rosalynn arrive for a ribbon cutting ceremony for a solar panel project on farmland he owns in their hometown of Plains, Ga. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
Just last week, the Carter’s grandson Jason spoke with media regarding their continued health and them being together for most of their lives.
“They’ve been together 70-plus years. They also know that they’re not in charge,” he told the Associated Press. “Their faith is really grounding in this moment. In that way, it’s as good as it can be.”
In Tuesday’s statement, the family pointed out Rosalynn has long been an advocate for mental health and that they hoped that coming forward with her illness would lessen the stigma surrounding it.
“We hope sharing our family’s news will increase important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctor’s offices around the country,” the family said.
Read the full statement here. The family said they’re asking for understanding and privacy in the matter.
