Former President Jimmy Carter’s family said Tuesday that his wife, Rosalynn Carter, has been diagnosed with dementia, according to a statement obtained by WSB-TV.
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“She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in the Plains and visits with loved ones,” said the statement, released by the family’s Carter Center.
“One in 10 older Americans has dementia, a condition that affects overall mental health. We recognize, as we did more than half a century ago, that stigma is often a barrier that prevents people and their families from seeking and receive much-needed support. We hope that sharing our family’s news will spark important conversations at kitchen tables and doctors’ offices across the country.”
Carter, 95, made mental health advocacy a priority for decades starting in 1970, when her husband was running for governor of Georgia.
“I want my mental health work to continue even after there is no more stigma, which I’m not sure will come in my lifetime, but I hope it will,” she said. according to WSB. “I wanted to bring mental illness and emotional disorders out of the closet, so people know it’s okay to admit they have a problem without 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 US lady to address the World Health Assembly World Health Organization to talk about the commission’s conclusions. His work contributed to the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980, which aimed to protect people with mental illness from discrimination.
In 1991, Carter established the Carter Center’s Mental Health Program. Seven years later, she wrote the book Helping Someone with Mental Illness: A Compassionate Guide for Family, Friends and Carers. In November 2000, he received the US Public Health Service’s highest award, the Surgeon General’s Medallion.
The former first lady’s diagnosis was announced months after President Carter, 98, was hospitalized.
“As the founder of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, Mrs. Carter often pointed out that there are only four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers; those who are currently carers, those who will be carers and those who will need carers”, family members. he said in Tuesday’s statement. “The universality of care is clear in our family, and we are experiencing the joy and challenges of this journey.
“We look forward to further comment and ask for understanding for our family and for everyone across the country who are in a caregiving role.”
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