Jimmy Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, shared insights into the former president’s current state of life, noting that while Jimmy’s health has remained stable, there has been a noticeable change from his active days. Speaking exclusively to Southern Living, Jason discussed how the Carter family continues to support their 99-year-old patriarch, who has been under hospice care for the past 16 months.
Despite ongoing health concerns, Jimmy Carter’s condition hasn’t shown significant deterioration recently. However, Jason acknowledged that his grandfather’s daily life is far removed from the public image of the energetic former president who was known for building homes and teaching Sunday school well into his 90s.
The passing of Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy’s wife of 77 years, in November at the age of 96 has deeply impacted him. Jason described the loss as leaving a void in Jimmy’s life, emphasizing that after such a long and inseparable marriage, the family struggles to fully comprehend the emotional journey Jimmy is going through.
“In our conversation with Southern Living in early June,” Jason remarked, “we must acknowledge that there are aspects of the human spirit that defy understanding.”
Jason Carter, 48, shared with the outlet that Jimmy Carter’s days are no longer spent awake consistently during his hospice care. The former president’s four children find it unpredictable how their father will be when they visit.
“He’s experiencing the world as best he can as he continues through this process,” Jason said.
In February 2023, Jimmy made the decision to begin hospice care at the same Plains home he and Rosalynn constructed in 1961. Since then, he has largely withdrawn from public life, aside from attending memorial events for Rosalynn. The Plains community, where Jimmy taught Sunday school until 2020, warmly received him during these events.
“[Plains] is the place that has given him the greatest support, and it is the only place where he would go through this part of his life,” Jason, who resides in Atlanta, remarked about his grandfather. “That’s his home in every way, and he really cherished that time and that support.”
Rosalynn was laid to rest near their Plains residence following her funeral service in November 2023, and Jimmy plans to be buried alongside her.
“I think the fact that he and my grandmother both came from that small town — it’s a 600-person village, really — and it’s not near any interstate and it is truly out in the country and it is a fundamental part of who he is and who he has been for his whole life,” Jason reflected. “There is no other place in the world that he would be at peace other than Plains.”
The Carters donated their property to the National Park Service, which intends to convert their modest home into a museum.
“It is such an American story… to go to Plains and see the house that my grandparents built and lived in for all their time and came home to after being president,” Jason added. “It is a really incredible story to go from that little town to the White House and back again.”