Barbara Bush is 'alert', talking - and enjoyed a glass of bourbon

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Former first lady Barbara Bush listens to her son, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, at a campaign event February 19, 2016 in Greenville, South Carolina.

• Former First Lady Barbara Bush is alert, having conversations, and enjoying bourbon despite her failing health.
• She has COPD, which makes it harder for her to breathe, and congestive heart failure.
• Bush decided to forgo any more medical treatment and seek "comfort care" at home, surrounded by family.

Former first lady Barbara Bush appears to be doing well at home despite her failing health.

Monday night, Bush was alert and was having conversations - along with a glass of bourbon - despite her COPD making it difficult for her to breathe, a source close to the family told Jenna Gibson of CBS News.

A family spokesman said on Sunday that Bush is in "failing health" and will not seek additional medical treatment.

After a number of recent hospitalizations and consulting with her family and doctors, the 92-year-old chose not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.

"It will not surprise those who know her that Barbara Bush has been a rock in the face of her failing health, worrying not for herself - thanks to her abiding faith - but for others," family spokesman Jim McGrath said in the statement. "She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving."

Along with COPD, Bush is battling congestive heart failure and has also been treated for a thyroid condition known as Graves' disease since she lived in the White House.

Bush was first lady from 1989 to 1993 while her husband, George H.W. Bush, was the 41st president. She has been a fixture of American politics and the Bush dynasty for decades.