What will change for President Jimmy Carter as he enters hospice care

After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has entered hospice care this weekend, deciding to forgo more treatment and spend his remaining time on Earth at his Georgia home, surrounded by family and loved ones.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has entered hospice care this weekend, deciding to forgo more treatment and spend his remaining time on Earth at his Georgia home, surrounded by family and loved ones.

"President Jimmy Carter has had several hospitalizations, he’s had several falls, so all of that goes into why he would be eligible and enrolled in hospice," social worker Kate Garza said.

In the Twin Cities, Garza has taken in the in’s and out’s of hospice care for the better part of 20 years. For her, Saturday’s announcement signaled a great gift for the 39th president, allowing the now 98-year-old to focus on family and the things that matter the most to him.

"I was happy for him that he’s going to be getting that support that he needs, and that his family will be," Kate Garza said.

As she explains: President Carter will be kept as comfortable as possible, with a team of nurses, social workers, chaplains and doctors, attending to his physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

Along the way they will also educate him on what to expect, as each day passes in his end-of-life stages, "I think the fact that they’re announcing that he’s in hospice care might mean that we’re looking at the last few days for President Carter," Kate Garza finished.