Jimmy Carter, 95, Has Been Hospitalized for a Brain Procedure Following Multiple Falls

From Prevention

• Former president Jimmy Carter, 95, has been hospitalized to relieve pressure in his brain caused by bleeding from subsequent falls.

• Carter recently broke his hip, fractured his pelvis, and also required stitches following various falls in the past year.

• The procedure will take place on Tuesday morning, but Carter is “resting comfortably” with his wife, Rosalynn, per an official statement.

At 95 years old, former president Jimmy Carter has recently bounced back from many health battles. In 2015, he completely recovered from melanoma that spread to his liver and brain.

In May, he underwent surgery after falling and breaking a hip, and on Monday night, according to The New York Times, he was hospitalized for a brain procedure to relieve pressure caused by bleeding from subsequent falls.

“President Carter is resting comfortably and his wife, Rosalynn, is with him,” Deanna Congileo, his spokeswoman, said in a statement. The procedure will take place on Tuesday morning.

After recovering from his hip surgery, Carter fell twice in October. The first time prompted the need for 14 stitches over his left eye, per The Times, and the second fractured his pelvis. Still, he persisted. He went on to work with Nashville’s Habitat for Humanity that month—something he’s done since leaving office in 1981—and showed up with a black eye and bandage on his forehead.

On Nov. 3, days after his second October fall, he used a walker and a motorized lift chair to teach Sunday school in the southwest Georgia, where he told the crowd that he became “completely at ease with death” during his cancer recovery. “I obviously prayed about it,” he said. “I didn't ask God to let me live, but I asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death.”

Carter’s recent years are a testament to the high frequency of falls in the elderly population. And despite his seamless perseverance, they’re a serious threat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one out of four people aged 65 and older fall each year, and one out of five falls causes a serious injury like broken bones or a head injury. Additionally, the CDC reports that falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries. Falling once doubles the likelihood of it happening again.

According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), falls are also the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older Americans, which is why it’s so important for them to understand and practice prevention education. The NCOA says falls are not an inevitable part of aging, and can be prevented with lifestyle adjustments, evidence-based falls prevention programs, and clinical-community partnerships.

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