In February 2023, former President Jimmy Carter announced that he was receiving hospice care. The public began to speculate that the end of his life was surely near. One year later, the longest living former president continues to lead a full life filled with visits from loved ones and cheering on his favorite sports teams on television.
From his longtime home in Plains, Georgia, he is also shaping public discourse. He continues to lead even now. Because of him, many are talking about end-of-life care.
Dr. Holly Yang, president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, is thankful for Jimmy’s leadership. "Statistically, the majority of people who enroll in hospice care unfortunately are on hospice care for less than a month," she explained. "However, people could benefit from it for months, and it's not unusual to have people who live longer than sometimes the doctors expect."
Jimmy’s long hospice era has been an unexpected blessing for his extended family. Jimmy’s grandson Jason explained this is because “there's been so much additional time that we've all gotten to spend together.” He added: "It's given us this ability to reflect on our personal relationships and experience [an outpouring of love] from around the world."
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Much has happened in Jimmy’s personal life since entering hospice. In May 2023, his wife Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady, was diagnosed with dementia. The couple celebrated 77 years of marriage in August of that same year.
In November, Rosalynn’s team also decided to put her on hospice care. Her journey was shorter than Jimmy’s. Two days later, she died.
The Carters dedicated their lives to public service, so it is no surprise that they are again paving the way for hard conversations. By being open and honest about end-of-life care, they are drawing attention to it so others can better understand and prepare. Hospice care does not have to be all doom and gloom. There is beauty to enriching one’s final days and supporting the extended family through a difficult time.
Dr. Joe Rotella, chief medical officer at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, is thankful to the Carters for raising awareness. "It's my experience that a lot of people would rather not think about or talk about the last days or weeks or months of life so they may just wait until they have to address something like this or until their doctor brings it up,” he explained. "When a really public figure goes on record that this is a choice they've made, it encourages people to go ahead and ask more questions about it and give it some more thought. And maybe over the long haul, we get over our discomfort with these topics and realize that if people are going to live to their fullest as long as they can live, we need to know when it's time to think about hospice care, because that's what hospice care can do."
The Carter family will be recognized for their bravery with a presidential citation from AAHPM. Dr. Yang is presenting the award herself. It will be accepted by James IV, the Carters' grandson, on the family’s behalf.
Dr. Rotella can’t overstate the Carters' influence. "I see more media coverage,” he gushed. “I see more public interest. I hear more people talking about what hospice can do for you just because a public figure made that choice. It's very powerful.”
