Service Dogs For Sleep Apnea?

[BlackSpinner]

I find it repulsive when I see someone pull into a handicapped spot, jump out of their car, and literally sprints into the store. We're not talking "invisible disability" .. we're talking "NO disability". Sure, a spouse might need it. But if the spouse is not in the car - DON'T PARK THERE!

Well you can't tell, can you, with an invisible disability. My sister is disabled. On good days she can sprint into the store and make it back, on bad days, not so much even though she will try. Though, since I got her off gluten there have been fewer sudden collapses.

I don't use the disabled parking spots when I don't have mom, dad or sis in the car. I try to park as far away as I can to get a bit of exercise in. But with them, yes, I am parking privileged.

[Cpap user]

having a dog wake me when my mask is removed, and or falls off would do me a great service.

It's really a shame there's no readily available gadget you can get that will set off an alarm if your mask falls off, power goes off, etc.

Now that you say that, there probably is such a device. It never occurred to me to check for such a device.

BTW, thanks for not being a condescending prick.

[archangle]

Now that you say that, there probably is such a device. It never occurred to me to check for such a device.

We had a thread trying to brainstorm this. Check in there for ideas, or post there if you come up with an idea.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=80540

[ughwhatname]

I specifically asked if the machine would alarm if I took the mask off because I heard from many people who take their mask off in their sleep. She said that some machines do alarm, though mine doesn't.

having a dog wake me when my mask is removed, and or falls off would do me a great service.

It's really a shame there's no readily available gadget you can get that will set off an alarm if your mask falls off, power goes off, etc.

Now that you say that, there probably is such a device. It never occurred to me to check for such a device.

BTW, thanks for not being a condescending prick.

[Cpap user]

Now that you say that, there probably is such a device. It never occurred to me to check for such a device.

We had a thread trying to brainstorm this. Check in there for ideas, or post there if you come up with an idea.



Perhaps I misunderstood your previous statement and struck back prematurely. It appears your comments where honorable and I humbly apologize for the prick comment.

Wow, I'm surprised this actually doesn't exist. When you said it, I instantly thought" dumbarse, surely they surely have those"

[archangle]

I specifically asked if the machine would alarm if I took the mask off because I heard from many people who take their mask off in their sleep. She said that some machines do alarm, though mine doesn't.

The PRS1 machines have an alarm, but it's not very loud. Lots of people will sleep through the alarm.

There are also quite a few people who take off their mask, turn off the machine, and then go back to sleep and don't remember it. The PRS1 machine alarm wouldn't help them. They'd probably turn off a separate alarm device as well, unless it required them to do something like walk into another room, or perform some sort of complicated action that they wouldn't be able to do without waking up enough to remember doing it.

Wow, I'm surprised this actually doesn't exist. When you said it, I instantly thought" dumbarse, surely they surely have those"

Yeah, me too. Why doesn't this exist already? Or why isn't there something made for some other purpose that doesn't cost too much and can be made to do the job?

I haven't found it yet, but since I don't have this problem myself, I haven't really tried that hard.

It seems to me that it would be less expense and work to make a mechanical device than to buy and train a dog to do it. Then you've got to feed and care for the dog. Then worry if you can train the dog properly, and worry if the dog will reliably alert you.

[zoocrewphoto]

Cpap user wrote:having a dog wake me when my mask is removed, and or falls off would do me a great service.



It's really a shame there's no readily available gadget you can get that will set off an alarm if your mask falls off, power goes off, etc.

Exactly. I would never expect a dog to stay awake all night and watch me. But I would love to have some alarm that could detect my snoring. This is because I do take off my mask sometimes due to leakage or whatever. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I don't. The problem is that when I am really sleepy and not very bright, I can't always get myself alert enough to get up and put it back on. So, stays off for hours. In my case, I do turn the power of the machine off. So, the only sign would be me snoring. If there were a alarm with a button I could put out of reach, then it would require me to awake enough to get out of bed, turn off the alarm, and put the mask back on.

So far, I have not found anything that would do the job. I really thought there would be something like this already on the market.

[49er]

Black Spinner,

I just remembered that when I drove my mother to the beauty parlor, since she had a handicapped sticker, of course, we would park in the handicapped space and I would escort her in.

I didn't sprint back to the car but I know I walked fast. I am sure people who saw me assumed I was one of those handicapped spot abusers(:

Thanks for sharing the story about your sister and how once again, we can't make judgments about invisible disabilities.

49er

[BlackSpinner]

I didn't sprint back to the car but I know I walked fast. I am sure people who saw me assumed I was one of those handicapped spot abusers(:

Thanks for sharing the story about your sister and how once again, we can't make judgments about invisible disabilities.

49er

It was difficult for her when she was younger. She had been a competitive swimmer and worked as a model and actor in her teens and twenties when the muscles degeneration started. It took her a long time to get the medical people to take her seriously and by that time a lot of irreversible damage had been done. Then to get the disabilities people to believe an athletic attractive tall blond was also disabled and unable to work was very traumatic for her.
There are days when all she can do is drag herself from the bed to the bathroom. She was in sort of a remission for a while but looking after my mother after the stroke put her over the edge again.

[chunkyfrog]

Small wonder so many who qualify, refuse to get the permit, while so many who barely qualify, get one in a NY minute.
Between fear of losing independence by some, and rampant laziness on the part of others,
many pressures work against the true intent of the permits. Still, it's the best system we've got.
When honesty and responsibility prevails over selfishness and pride, it works.

[Michifan]

I realize my post is being made a while after the original argument, but a lot of people here are posting misinformation about Service Dogs and the ADA. First of all there is no doubt that there is some abuse to the system, but if the system were more onerous, it would actually harm legitimately disabled persons by making the process of getting a service dog even more difficult. Additional training requirements are expensive and the elderly with disabilities have hard enough access to getting decently trained dogs.

Most importantly it isnt your businesss if you think someone doesnt NEED a service dog, unless that dog is out of control. And in that case, the proprietor can ask the disabled person to leave or comtrol the dog.

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. The tasks can be specific to the disability or general. It's one task can be picking up a newspaper. A guide dog is a service dog, but not all service dogs need to be trained anywhere near a guide dog.

Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties.

When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

In other words if someone fits the definition of disabled under the ADA and they have a dog that barks when the toast is ready, its a service dog. There is no registry or determination of a legal service dog other than above. If apnea is considered a disability by the ADA then it doesn't matter whether the dog does its work in the day or night. It is a service dog when the disabled person says so. That is the law.

As far as unruly service dogs, the owner is responsible. A disabled person can be asked to leave when the dog is out of control.

If you dont like the law, call your congress critter. But too many people on this post are making up rules that are in direct violation to Federal Law.

[Stormynights]

This is a silly question but where does a service dog go to poop on a cruise ship?

[eeckel]

Don't forget about the emerging market of service robots! Some roboticists claim that service robots can equal or exceed the skills of a service dog. Pooping is a nonissue for robots.

[Stormynights]

Don't forget about the emerging market of service robots! Some roboticists claim that service robots can equal or exceed the skills of a service dog. Pooping is a nonissue for robots.

I might take one of those on a ship but not my dog. That would just be cruel. When they scratch on the door to go out they just gotta go.

[Goofproof]

Small wonder so many who qualify, refuse to get the permit, while so many who barely qualify, get one in a NY minute.
Between fear of losing independence by some, and rampant laziness on the part of others,
many pressures work against the true intent of the permits. Still, it's the best system we've got.
When honesty and responsibility prevails over selfishness and pride, it works.

I have a disabled plate for my truck, usually you will find me setting behind the wheel, while my wife goes in to shop for me. It bothers me too when the non-disabled jump out of their vehicles to go into the store. I think it would be fair if GOD or someone would trade body parts mine for their's. I'd be out of my truck so fast it would be a blur, me streaking down the store buying with both hands.

On the mask off alarm, I run tv and a/c and nature sounds, the noise level is too low. A simple McGivor fix would a old fire alarm (they need to be replaced every 5 years), You would need two switches one normally open and a on/off switch in series with the test switch on the alarm. The trick was to get the machine pressure to close the circuit when its running, it could be done. The on/off is to shut it off.

If I had the problem of taking the mask off, I would build one, but I don't allow myself to remove my mask, it would also work as a power off alarm, self powered. The cost should be under $10 if you bought the parts with a old alarm $2. Jim