( CNN ) -- Former President George H.W . Bush has improved , but will remain in the hospital through the weekend , his spokesman said Saturday night . `` President Bush 's condition has improved to the point that doctors have begun discussing dates for his discharge , '' Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement . `` He will remain at the Houston Methodist Hospital through the weekend for further observation . '' Bush , 90 , was taken to the hospital Tuesday night as a precautionary measure after experiencing shortness of breath . On Christmas Day , the former president received visits from his wife , Barbara , son Neil and daughter-in-law Maria Bush , McGrath said in a previous statement . McGrath said Bush `` asked that his sincere wishes for a very Merry Christmas be extended to one and all . '' Aides stressed this hospitalization is different from what the former president faced two years ago when he had to spend two months , including Christmas , hospitalized after suffering bronchitis and a persistent cough . Bush , a Republican , served as the nation 's 41st president and is the father of the 43rd president , George W. Bush . While suffering from a form of Parkinson 's disease that causes him to use a wheelchair or a scooter , the elder Bush has been active recently . He appeared last month with his son George at an event to unveil the new book , `` 41 : A Portrait of My Father . '' 41 things about Bush 41 . CNN 's Steve Brusk and John King contributed to this report .
George W. Bush . George W. Bush will stay in hospital through Tuesday . Former President was hospitalized the weekend for shortness of breath . He is the father of the 43rd president , Bush .