# Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has unspecified dementia (has died, Nov. 19, 2023) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 30, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791 "2023-05-30T22:35:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/1 "2023-05-30T22:35:01Z")
At 95, that’s actually not a surprise. It still stinks. > **[Carter Family Statement about Health of First Lady Rosalynn Carter](https://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/2023/statement-on-rosalynn-carters-health.html)** > > The Carter family is sharing that former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia. She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/2 "2023-05-30T23:41:24Z")
I know she was the first lady but this is more of an MPSIMS thread. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/3 "2023-05-31T00:39:37Z")
That is sad to hear about, even if unsurprising. May her dementia journey be a gentle one. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/4 "2023-05-31T17:13:19Z")
It seems rather tacky to announce it to the world. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/5 "2023-05-31T18:46:43Z")
Why? She’s one of the best-known public figures in the whole world, and it would possibly explain why she might not attend Jimmy’s funeral when his time comes (assuming she doesn’t die first). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/6 "2023-05-31T19:12:50Z")
If you lose it, do you want someone running down the street yelling, “Hey everyone! nearwildheaven has gone nuts!”? Perhaps it is a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/7 "2023-05-31T19:14:14Z")
Many people have had this announced when they are diagnosed. My favorite actor did that. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/8 "2023-05-31T19:53:34Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > She’s one of the best-known public figures in the whole world That’s an odd perception. At least 95% of the world outside the U.S. would not know who Rosalynn Carter is by name alone without context. And I think that a lot of younger Americans wouldn’t either, although obviously they’d probably guess from the surname. (Not that I intend to diminish her at all, it just struck me as odd that you think she is so well known today.) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/9 "2023-05-31T21:02:38Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > If you lose it, do you want someone running down the street yelling, “Hey everyone! nearwildheaven has gone nuts!”? Perhaps it is a regional thing. Were you around when First Lady Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy? I don’t recall anyone running down the street yelling. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/10 "2023-05-31T21:37:52Z")
Rosalynn Carter has been a great advocate for [destigmatizing mental health issues](https://www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/rosalynn-carter-mental-health-leadership.html). I think it entirely appropriate that this news be made public, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she had a role in deciding to announce it. That she has dementia does not necessarily mean that she’s totally out of touch with the facts of her own case and decisions relating to it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/11 "2023-05-31T22:58:10Z")
I heard it on NBC News last night. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/12 "2023-05-31T23:11:04Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It seems rather tacky to announce it to the world. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > If you lose it, do you want someone running down the street yelling, “Hey everyone! nearwildheaven has gone nuts!”? What’s tacky is implying that dementia in a gracious 95-year-old woman with an unblemished record of public service is anywhere in the same ballpark as _“going nuts.”_ Many of us still remember the Carters-- they’re not dead yet and neither are we. 🧐 ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/13 "2023-06-01T00:43:44Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > I don’t recall anyone running down the street yelling. I remember not only Betty Ford’s breast cancer, but her face lift, and her treatment for alcoholism. It is important that us regular Joes and Jennies know that rich/famous/smart/loving people have crap happen to them, too. I’m grateful for the opportunity to think about how this will affect her family as my dad’s senility affected mine. It’s cathartic to know you are not alone in your struggles. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/14 "2023-06-01T04:00:47Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Rosalynn Carter has been a great advocate for [destigmatizing mental health issues](https://www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/rosalynn-carter-mental-health-leadership.html). I think it entirely appropriate that this news be made public, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she had a role in deciding to announce it. That she has dementia does not necessarily mean that she’s totally out of touch with the facts of her own case and decisions relating to it. Given that background, i would guess it was her choice to publicize it. My mother had moderate dementia for a couple of years, and for most of that time was aware of her condition and perfectly capable of deciding what she wanted others to know about it. (She was also hugely frustrated by it.) Heck, a doctor who was a member of my temple gave a talk about his Alzheimer’s, and what it meant to him and his family, and what planning he was doing while he was still capable of doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/15 "2023-06-01T08:17:04Z")
I recently watched the documentary about their love life, Jimmy and Rosalynn. It was quite touching. And powerful. They’ve led such blessed lives. Her condition is a sad way to spend your (their) final days together. I can’t help but think of the movie _The Notebook_. Which, though it’s very much a chick flick, I kind of liked. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/16 "2023-11-19T21:06:48Z")
She officially entered hospice several days ago, and died today at age 96. Well done, good and faithful servant. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/17 "2023-11-19T22:07:22Z")
Surprised that Jimmy outlived her, as he always seemed the more frail of the two. The two of them exemplify a life well-lived, giving generously of their good fortune and of their time. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/18 "2023-11-19T22:17:47Z")
IIRC Jimmy has been in hospice for a few months. I do not know but I wonder if he is even able to be aware of his wife’s death? Rosalynn was a class act. I wish more first ladies (actually…anyone) emulated her. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/19 "2023-11-20T00:00:26Z")
Husband and wife knew each other from the time they were toddlers. That’s a long relationship. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791/20 "2023-11-20T01:12:17Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > … Well done, good and faithful servant. Half of by far the classiest (and MHO, most accomplished) “former President” couple in my lifetime. Very much RIP. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-first-lady-rosalynn-carter-has-unspecified-dementia-has-died-nov-19-2023/984791.md?page=2)