Nineteen months after entering hospice, former president Jimmy Carter is celebrating his 100th birthday on Oct. 1.
On Sept. 27, Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, offered an update on his grandfather’s health, telling 11Alive, there has “virtually been no change” in the former president’s condition since he entered hospice a year and a half ago.
“It’s been 19 months since he went into hospice, and he’s really in the same situation. And all of us are amazed by the longevity of this period for him, this period of reflection for us and for everyone else. But there’s still been virtually no change at all. And we’re still just excited to have as much of him as we do.”
Early in September, Jason told Boston public radio that while Carter is “very physically diminished,” he is doing well and his emotionally and mentally “still there and participating in the world.”
“When my grandmother passed, he was honored and happy to have been there with her until the end, but I think he had a real low moment for some months,” Jason said.
“And lately, he’s been much more engaged in politics and in the news and emotionally engaged with all of us.”
Jason shared that Carter wants to vote in the upcoming 2024 election in November. The former president has voiced his support for Democratic nominee and current Vice President, Kamala Harris.
In May, Jason shared a statement after visiting his grandfather at his White Plains, Georgia home, which included a nugget from one of their conversations.
According to Jason, they were watching a Braves game together and “I told him, I said, ‘Pawpaw, you know, when people ask me how you’re doing I say, ‘honestly I don’t know,’” Jason recalled.
“And he kind of smiled and he said ‘I don’t know, myself,’” Jason revealed. “It was pretty sweet,” he told Southern Living.
Jason admitted his family had no idea Carter would be in hospice for so long when he first entered back in February 2023. “But God had other plans.”
“I think this point of being in hospice when he chose to forego any additional medical treatment, you know, he was making a decision that he was ready for whatever God had in store for the end of his life,” Jason told 11Alive on how important Carter’s faith is to him. “And there’s a part of that faith journey that you can only live at the very end.”
“And he has been there in that moment for a very long time, and I think he has struggled with it at times. I know for a fact that he’s been frustrated with sort of whatever this plan is. But I think he has given himself over in these last few days to God’s plan in the same way that he lived out the rest of his life. So it’s a remarkable thing to watch.”
“[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 explained to Southern Living. “That’s his home in every way, and he really cherished that time and that support.”
“There is no other place in the world that he would be at peace other than Plains.”