Former first lady Rosalynn Carter enters home hospice care

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at the Carters' home in Georgia, according to The Carter Center. 

In May, The Carter Center shared that the former first lady, who is 96, has dementia, although it's unclear when the diagnosis was given. 

Her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, has also been in hospice care at their home since February. He turned 99 last month.

"Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at home," The Carter Center said in a statement Friday on behalf of Jason Carter, the Carters' grandson. "She and President Carter are spending time with each other and their family. The Carter family continues to ask for privacy and remains grateful for the outpouring of love and support."

Jimmy Carter told his mother after his first date with Rosalynn Smith that she was the girl he wanted to marry. They married on July 7, 1946. The Carters have four children together. 

While she was first lady, Rosalynn Carter was a staunch advocate of mental health research, among other causes, and she took that message abroad.

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• Rosalynn Carter
• Jimmy Carter

Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.