Former President Jimmy Carter Enters Home Hospice Care After Series of Hospital Stays

Former President Jimmy Carter has entered home hospice care, the Carter Center announced Saturday. The 98-year-old former president made the decision after a series of short hospital stays, the center said in a statement.

The statement said that Carter “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention.” It added that he has the full support of his medical team and family, which “asks for privacy at this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.”

Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. He served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. In 2015, Carter announced that he had been diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer, and had undergone treatment. The following year, he announced that he needed no further treatment, as an experimental drug had eliminated any sign of cancer.

Since leaving office, Carter has been an active humanitarian and public speaker. He founded the Carter Center in 1982, which works to promote human rights and alleviate human suffering.

Carter will quietly mark his 97th birthday at home in southwest Georgia on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, an aide said. The Carter Center has asked for privacy at this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.