Former US President Ford hospitalized
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-17 08:35

Former US President Gerald Ford was undergoing treatment for pneumonia on Monday and was doing well, his chief of staff said.

Former U.S. president Gerald Ford acknowledges the cheers from the crowd following a tribute in his honor at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in this August 1, 2000 file photo. Ford was admitted to a California hospital on January 16, 2006 for the treatment of pneumonia, according to his spokeswoman Penny Circle.[Reuters/file]

Ford, 92, was admitted Saturday to Eisenhower Medical Center near his Rancho Mirage home, said Penny Circle.

"Based on his age it is prudent for his initial course of treatment — IV antibiotics — to be done at the hospital," Circle told The Associated Press.

Former U.S. President Gerald Ford (R) stands with his wife Betty following a tribute in his honor at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in this August 1, 2000 file photo.[Reuters/file]

Ford should be released from the hospital on Wednesday or Thursday, she said.

"He's doing very well," Circle said.

When asked if the pneumonia was the result of any lingering effects from a bad cold Ford had last month, Circle would only say, "I don't think so."