Though this year has brought new health challenges for Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, life inside their rural Georgia home is “quiet and calm,” with frequent visits from family, a grandchild told People magazine in an article published over the weekend.
And the couple, who celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary last month, is “still holding hands,” Josh Carter told the magazine.
The Atlanta-based Carter Center announced in February that former President Jimmy Carter had entered home hospice care in Plains, the couple’s home town. In May, the family announced that former first lady Rosalynn Carter had dementia.
On Sunday night, a Carter Center spokesman said there was “no new info or new status” on the health conditions of the former first couple, who continue to rest in their Plains home.
Rosalyn Carter celebrated her 96th birthday quietly with family on Friday. Private festivities included the release of butterflies in her garden and sharing cupcakes and peanut butter ice cream. Jimmy Carter turns 99 in October.
The couple have lived in their modest ranch-style house since 1961, save for their years in the Governor’s Mansion and the White House. Plains, about 150 miles south of Atlanta, has fewer than 1,000 residents.
Josh Carter, a 39-year-old grandson, told People magazine that his grandfather is “still fully Jimmy Carter” and aware of all of the well wishes he has received since entering hospice. “He’s just tired.”
Rosalynn Carter understands that she has dementia, according to the grandson, and some days are better than others.
“She still knows who we are, for the most part — that we are family,” he told People, adding that a good night’s sleep improves her symptoms and that she is still able to form new memories.
For the AJC’s coverage of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, and their Carter Center nonprofit, please visit https://www.ajc.com/jimmy-carter/.
