Christian Smith
Former President Jimmy Carter’s eldest grandson said Tuesday that his grandfather is “reaching the end” after spending more than a year in hospice care.
Jason Carter, who also serves as chairman of the Carter Center’s Board of Trustees, spoke about his grandparents at the 28th Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum — which Jason Carter noted was the first such forum the center has held since his grandmother, the former -First Lady Rosalynn Carter, died in November at 96 years old.
“First of all, as you all expected, I’m sure, my grandmother’s passing was a difficult time for all of us, including my grandfather,” said Jason Carter, addressing the audience. “And this is, of course, the first of these forums since that day, but the outpouring of love and support that we as a family have received from the people in this room and around the world has been so remarkable and meaningful to us. ”
Jason Carter thanked the community and the rest of the world “on behalf of my entire family” for making the former first lady’s death a celebration of her life.
He then provided an update on his grandfather, who is the oldest living president at 99 years old.
“My grandfather is fine. He has been hospitalized, as you know, for almost a year and a half. And it really is, I think, coming to an end,” said Jason Carter.
“As I’ve said before, there is a part of this journey of faith that is very important to him,” he continued. “And there is a part of that journey of faith that you can only experience at the end, and I think he was present in that space.”
Jason Carter recounted the last time he saw his grandfather a few weeks ago, when they watched a Braves baseball game together and discussed the former president’s well-being.
“I said, ‘Dad, you know, I can’t. People ask me how you are and I say I don’t know.’ And he said, ‘Well, I don’t know myself,’ said Jason Carter, describing his conversation with the former president.
“So he’s still there,” Jason Carter continued.
He noted the link between caregiving and mental health, which he said has been increasingly prevalent since the former president was admitted to hospice care.
“The care associated with mental health and mental illness is so crucial and fundamental to the work that we all do in this room and to his legacy,” said Jason Carter, referring to his grandmother. “It’s remarkable and important, and we’ve all experienced it firsthand over the past year, so we’re grateful for that too.”
The former president announced In February 2023, he began receiving palliative care, forgoing further medical interventions so he could spend more time with his family.
The former president’s 100th birthday is October 1 this year.
