The grandson of former President Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter said in a new interview that the couple is in the “final chapter” of their lives as the former president receives hospice care and the former first lady grapples with dementia.
“It’s clear we’re in the final chapter,” Josh Carter said about his grandparents in a People interview published Saturday.
“Odds are I’m gonna lose my grandfather before my grandmother,” he added. “He’s in hospice care and she’s not, and it’s just math.”
The 98-year-old former president began receiving receiving hospice care in February after several short hospital stays, opting to spend his remaining time at home with family instead of receiving additional medical intervention.
His wife, Rosalynn, has been diagnosed with dementia, The Carter Center revealed in May.
“He’s still fully Jimmy Carter,” Josh Carter said. “He’s just tired. I mean he’s almost 99 years old, but he fully understands [how many well wishes he’s received] and has felt the love.”
The former president and first lady, who have the longest marriage of any first couple in U.S. history, recently celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary.
“They’ve experienced everything that you can together. I think the beautiful thing is that they are still together,” Josh Carter told People, adding, “They are still holding hands … it’s just amazing.” (The Hill).
