Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, the Carter Center says

ATLANTA (AP) — Former US first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia and remains at home, her family has announced.

Carter, now 95, remains at home with former President Jimmy Carter, who has been at home receiving hospice care since early this year.

“She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones,” the family said via The Carter Center, the global humanitarian organisation the couple founded in 1982 after leaving the White House.

Married nearly 77 years, the Carter are the longest-married first couple in US history.

The family noted in its statement that Rosalynn Carter spent her long public life advocating for individuals and families affected by mental illness and for those in caregiving relationships with loved ones.

“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,” the statement reads.

“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.”

The Carters have been visiting only with family and close friends in recent months, after the former president's announcement that he would forgo further medical intervention after a series of short hospital stays.

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