Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, wife of former Democratic President Jimmy Carter, suffers from dementia, the Carter Center announced Tuesday in a statement.
Rosalynn Carter, 95, has been an outspoken advocate for caregivers and mental health, the Carter Center recalled in a statement, which quoted a famous phrase of hers: "There are only four types of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers."
The married couple formed by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, walking through Plains, Georgia, on Feb. 8, 2018.David Goldman/AP file
The former first lady's illness comes three months after her family announced that her 98-year-old husband would begin receiving palliative care at home instead of undergoing further surgery.
In August 2015, a small cancerous mass was removed from his liver. The following year he announced that he did not need further treatments, as an experimental drug had eliminated any signs of cancer.
Rosalynn Carter continues to live "happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains [Georgia] and visits from loved ones," the statement said.