Dementia Patient using CPAP

I'll chime in my support for what Rested_Gal, BlackSpinner, and DreamLady have said.

There comes a time when we must pick and choose between which medical conditions must be treated and which can be left alone based on quality of life considerations. At this point, anything (including CPAP) that causes your father-in-law more confusion, more anxiety, more fear, more negative emotions of any sort is likely going to make the dementia worse and adversely affect the quality of your father-in-law's daily life. And the dementia is the more serious quality of life issue that you and your family will need to confront and deal with.

Rested_Gal put it quite elegantly when she said:

I do applaud you for wanting to do the right things and best things for your father-in-law. I just think the problems a CPAP mask -- any mask -- could cause him at this point are not worth it. Not if the goal is to let him have as peaceful and easy a time as possible in living the remaining years of his life.

Ditto for what Restedgal said. My Mom is 88 and in a new facility...and she thinks she's still in her own home. Why would you want to try and make him compliant at his age, I have discovered that ANY change in a dementia patients life is TOOOO traumatic to help them. They will forget what you told them in the first place so why force them. Leave the machine at his bedside ready to hook up & allow the staff to hook him up when he goes to bed....but if he takes it off or doesn't want it..........SO WHAT. The road to recovery for a dementia patient is non existant, the aim is to keep them
happy, fed and comfortable....that's it!
Good luck in trying to keep the hose on him....won't happen, you will only frustrate yourself.
You are definately to be commended for caring.

I have to join with the others.
It is difficult to accept that there are few options at this point;
but the most compassionate choices may be the hardest.
Enjoy what time you have with your beloved family member,
making her as comfortable as possible.
When her dementia takes her to a happier time--go with it.
Love and humor can offer much comfort;
Be as generous as possible with your love.

I'll chime in my support for what Rested_Gal, BlackSpinner, and DreamLady and a few others have said. After getting diagnosed myself just a year ago, I realized that my Dad has probably had OSA for most of his life. He is 91 and has all the classic symptoms. He has had 2 strokes and a heart attack. He is still home with only mild forgetfullness, not full on dementia or Alzheimers, but at this time I think a sleep study and therapy would just add distress to his final months or years hopefully.

Takoda,

I agree with Rested Gal...but I think I would still be compelled to "do something". Is there any way the hospital could raise the head of your father's bed...in case the OSA is caused by his tongue falling back and blocking his airway when he is fully horizontal? Could they add supplemental O2 when he is sleeping? I think the oxygen tubes might be less intrusive than a CPAP mask.

Well, just some thoughts. My heart goes out to you and your family....

T.

When it comes to CPAP therapy I believe it should be considered something to improve quality of life for the user.

As others have said if it is making things worse then it could be discontinued and do what is best for the person using it.

As long as I can mask up myself and help my quality of life then I will use my CPAP therapy. But if the day comes that I am only kept alive by a ventilator without the hope of living and experiencing the blessings of life, please someone come unplug the ventilator and let me go to my reward...

This is my personal non medical opinion.

I am so glad I found this discussion thread- even though it's years old. : ) We got a diagnosis of vascular dementia for my mom a few months ago and we also discovered she has sleep apnea which seems to be greatly contributing. Unfortunately, she was not at all compliant in using the CPAP machine and the dementia has already progressed to a point where she is very defiant about it (she says her lungs are fine!). We are very sad and feel helpless, because she'll turn 75 in May, and it sounds like using the CPAP machine could really help her a lot. She's not in her late 80's like the others you mentioned, so we feel it could really help improve things for her. I hate to just "give up" on a proven therapy, but as others have stated, unless they can figure out the right combination of factors (fit, pressure, etc.) to get her comfortable with using the machine, it sounds like this therapy is just going to be lost for us.

I'm sorry to hear about your pain.
You can try more comfortable masks and settings for her, but the final choice is hers.
No matter what age, dementia and other psychological problems can become an obstacle to treatment,
and conflict over it may cause more distress than improvement.
Your mother's case appears to have gone past the tipping point, and her comfort may now take
precedence over your desire for her longevity. (And concern for your own mortality)
Weigh advantages honestly with benefits; and be generous with your time with- and affection for her.

I agree that quality of life is important. In 1976, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The last six months of his life, my mother would fix him anything he wanted to eat, and adjust his insulin accordingly to controll his blood sugar. Three years ago, my sister-in-law was suffering from Alzheimer's and diabetes. She so looked forward to the chocolate chip cookie she got every day after lunch. Even though her memory was badly deteriorated, she always remembered her cookie was coming with lunch.

PAKel ... even tho this is an old thread, I think there must be a special place in heaven for people like you who are willing to take on the Herculean task of helping an aging relative who has dementia issues. My hat's off to you and I wish you good luck.

Okie bipap wrote: Three years ago, my sister-in-law was suffering from Alzheimer's and diabetes. She so looked forward to the chocolate chip cookie she got every day after lunch. Even though her memory was badly deteriorated, she always remembered her cookie was coming with lunch.

Same with my sister. She was totally whacked out by dementia but she used to love her ice cream. That bowl of daily ice cream was literally the only time she smiled all day. A nice daily kindness, because there was not much chance she was going to die from clogged up arteries since her brain was rapidly disabled over a few years by Alzheimer's.

May you be given the strength to keep help her, I know how hard it is. Bless You. Jim

I may have missed it, but what machine does he have? If he has a machine with EPR, set it to 3. He might very well not have a problem with it.

I also agree. If it is a struggle for him, just let the DME take it back. If he sleeps on his back, elevate his torso either with a hospital bed or a good quality wedge to make breathing easier. Alternatively, give him a comfy recliner. It won't cure his sleep apnea, but he might breathe easier.