Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of the United States, was diagnosed with dementia

2023-05-31 03:45:00

The Carter Center released this Tuesday, May 30, the news that Rosalynn Carter, former president’s wife Jimmy Carter was diagnosed with dementia. The former president is also going through an illness and receiving palliative care. Only in the American continent, more than 10 million people suffer from this cognitive impairment.

“The Carter family shares that former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia. She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains, Georgia, and visits from loved ones,” the organization reported.

Rosalynn y Jimmy Carter.

The Carter Center took advantage of the news to praise the figure of Rosalynn as “the leading advocate for mental health” in the United States, first as First Lady of Georgia (1971-1975), later from the White House and, finally, from the institution.

“He urged to improve access to care and decrease stigma around problems related to mental health,” added the Carter Center for the agency. Europa Press. In addition, he stressed that he does not plan to expand the information on the health of Rosalynn Carter.

A love for life: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter celebrated 75 years of marriage

“We do not expect to comment further and ask for your understanding for our family and for all those across the country who play a caring role,” the organization concluded in a statement posted on its website.

Jimmy Carter’s health

For his part, Jimmy Carter is also going through a delicate state of health. As of February and at the age of 98, the former president began to receive palliative care at home after a series of brief stays in the hospital, according to what the foundation itself reported at the time.

The Center said that, in sharing the news of Carter’s diagnosis, it helped “increase the important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctors’ offices across the country.” As first lady, Carter made mental health advocacy her platform and formed a presidential commission on the subject while in the White House, a legacy that continues today.

In a good mood and accompanied

At an event last week in Norcross, Georgia, for the former president, Andrew Young, President Carter’s former ambassador to the UN, described him on WSB-TV as in good spirits during a visit last month.

“They’re coming to an end,” the Carters’ grandson Jason Carter said at the scene. “He’s going to be 99 in October, but right now it’s the perfect way for them to spend these final days together at home in Plains. They are together, and They’ve been together for over 70 years,” published CNN.

what is dementia

Dementia is not a normal part of aging, according to the National Institute on Aging, but about a third of all people age 85 and older may have some form of dementia.

It is a syndrome that causes deterioration of memory, thinking, behavior and the ability to perform daily activities. People with dementia can get lost in familiar places, experience sudden mood swings, forget simple words, and suffer short-term memory impairment (the most common early symptom of dementia).

In the American continent, more than 10 million people suffer from dementia. Estimates show that every 20 years, the number of people with this disorder will double.

In 2019, dementia was ranked as the third cause of death in the American continent, representing 390,473 deaths. This figure has tripled since 2000, when dementia accounted for 113,631 deaths, and age-adjusted mortality rates increased from 11.8 deaths per 100,000 population in 2000 to 22.3 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019. Dementia ranked as the 14th leading cause of years of life lost due to premature mortality, representing 390 million years of life lost.

Women are disproportionately affected. Only in the American continent, 66% of deaths from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are women.

The 20% of the countries with the highest age-standardized mortality rates per 100,000 inhabitants in the Region of the Americas are: the United States, Canada, Suriname, Cuba, Honduras, Bolivia, and Uruguay.

NT / ED

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