On Tuesday, former US President Jimmy Carter, 98, decided to enter home hospice care in Plains, Georgia, following a series of brief hospital stays. What that means, his condition, and what happens next.
Former President Carter decides to enter hospice care
According to a statement issued by the Carter Center, the 98-year-old former president has “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention.”
According to the statement from the Carter Center, the former president made the decision on Saturday “after a series of short hospital stays.”
“He has the full support of his family and his medical team,” the statement added, CNN reported. “The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.”
Carter has faced several health scares, including metastatic brain cancer and, most recently, brain surgery following a fall in 2019.
Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, is the oldest living US president in history. He served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He defeated incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford in the 1976 election.
Previously, Carter served as the 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. Prior to that, he served as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967.
Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946, and joined the United States Navy, serving in the submarine service.
What is hospice care?
Hospice care can be provided in dedicated hospice centers, nursing homes, and hospitals, although it is usually home-based.
Hospice care is an end-of-life treatment designed to make patients feel comfortable while reducing their pain and suffering in their final days. Hospice care focuses on managing the symptoms, while alleviating suffering during the projected time of life.
The transition to hospice care is prescribed by two physicians for those patients declared to be terminally ill and is generally reserved for those anticipated to have six months or less to live, the Associated Press reported.
“Typically, hospice care requires a referral from a physician who agreed that hospice care is appropriate for the patient and so we certified that the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less, based on our best knowledge and data we have if the disease runs its expected course,” according to Dr. Jay Bhatt, an internist and geriatrician in Chicago and an ABC News contributor.
According to a representative from the American Cancer Society, the average time spent in hospice care is about three weeks.
