(TargetDailyNews.com) – Jimmy Carter, the oldest living president at 99 years old, is declining in hospice care according to his family, who anticipate his death soon.
Carter’s grandson Jason recently addressed members of the Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum and gave them information about his grandfather’s condition. Rosalynn was Jimmy Carter’s wife who died at age 96 late last year. Jason Carter chairs the board of his grandmother’s organization.
He said his grandfather Jimmy, who has been in hospice care for more than a year, is “doing OK,” but that he is “coming to the end.” Religious faith is very important to Jimmy Carter, Jason said, and his grandfather is at the juncture in his “faith journey” that only comes at the end of life.
Rosalynn’s death was very difficult for the family, Jason Carter said, and especially for her husband. The family has been grateful for the “love and support” from members of the Forum and “the rest of the world.” He said the kind words from the public were “remarkable” to his family when Rosalynn died and helped make their time as a family a celebration of her life.
Jimmy Carter began a career in the Navy in the 1940s and married Rosalynn in 1946. They were married for a total of 77 years. In the 1960s, he became a Georgia state senator where he served two terms before being elected governor of the state in 1971. He won the U.S. presidency in 1976 and served until 1981. Known for his view that energy conservation was as important as efficiency, Jimmy Carter was sometimes mocked for the image of him wearing a sweater and advising people to turn their thermostats down.
Seen by many as a very kind and principled man, Carter was nonetheless seen as one of the less effective U.S. presidents. Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980 was viewed as a rebuke of liberal policies and a turn toward a more pro-capitalist and muscular American politics.
Jason Carter said he last saw his grandfather a few weeks ago when they spent time watching an Atlanta Braves baseball game. Jason asked Jimmy how he was doing, saying he didn’t know what to tell friends who inquired. His grandfather replied, “Well, I don’t know myself.” Jason told the assembly at the Forum that Jimmy was “still there,” but that the end was clearly in sight.
If Jimmy Carter lives to see his birthday on October 1st, he will turn 100 years old.
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