The grandson of former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter is sharing an update on the health of his grandparents. In an interview with People, Josh Carter stated that "it's clear we're in the final chapter."
"Odds are I'm gonna lose my grandfather before my grandmother," Josh Carter told the outlet. "He's in hospice care and she's not, and it's just math."
Josh Carter said "there's always somebody at the house" to care for his grandparents. (Jimmy Carter entered hospice care in February so he could spend more time at home with his family.)
Josh, the son of Jeff and Annette Carter, also shared that his grandfather is "still fully Jimmy Carter."
"He's just tired," Josh Carter told People. "I mean he's almost 99 years old, but he fully understands [how many well wishes he's received] and has felt the love."
In May, the Carters announced that Rosalynn Carter was diagnosed with dementia.
"She still knows who we are, for the most part — that we are family," Josh Carter shared. "My grandmother is still able to form new memories."
Josh also reflected on his grandparents' incredible love story, adding that "they are still holding hands."
"They've experienced everything that you can together," Josh Carter said. "I think the beautiful thing is that they are still together."
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are the longest-married presidential couple. The couple married on July 7, 1946, when she was 18 and he was 21. They have four children: John William (born 1947), James Earl "Chip" III (born 1950), Donnel Jeffrey (born 1952) and Amy (born 1967).
In 2016, the former president shared the secret of his successful marriage.
"Rosalynn has her own ideas, her own ambitions, her own goals in life, which, in some ways, are different from mine. I let her do her thing; she lets me do my thing," Carter said. "And we try to resolve our inevitable and fairly frequent differences before we go to bed at night."
Josh Carter says the family takes comfort in knowing that the couple "lived their lives to the fullest."
