WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (AFP) - Mr Jimmy Carter, the 98-year-old former US president who led the nation from 1977 to 1981, is receiving hospice care at home, where he will spend his “remaining time,” his non-profit foundation said on Saturday.

“After a series of short hospital stays, former US president Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention,” the Carter Centre said, in a statement posted on Twitter.

Mr Carter, the oldest living former president and a Nobel peace laureate, lives in Plains, Georgia, with his wife, Rosalynn.

That hamlet is where he was born and worked as a peanut farmer before becoming governor and later launching his presidential bid.

“The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers,” the Carter Centre said.

“He has the full support of his family and his medical team,” it added.

Mr Carter’s grandson, Mr Jason Carter, a former Georgia state senator, tweeted that he had seen “both of my grandparents yesterday” (Feb 17).

“They are at peace and – as always – their home is full of love. Thank you all for your kind words,” he said.