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My Sister In Law Has Dementia And Sleep Apnea .

Posted on Sat, 15 Jun 2019

Question: My sister in law has dementia and sleep apnea. My brother does not accept the dementia and thinks that forcing her to wear a CPAP mask will heal her - what causes us all great distress is that my sister law takes the mask off in her sleep and it comes loose causing my brother to get very upset and put it back on 5 or so times a night. I am wondering if an oximeter with an alarm would be better - perhaps waking her as many times but not causing so much distress for her, my brother and the whole family - and if that waking would trigger her to breath when she went back to sleep. I realize this is not about my directly but indirectly the whole family is suffering. Thank you

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (0 minute later)

My sister in law has dementia and sleep apnea. My brother does not accept the dementia and thinks that forcing her to wear a CPAP mask will heal her - what causes us all great distress is that my sister law takes the mask off in her sleep and it comes loose causing my brother to get very upset and put it back on 5 or so times a night. I am wondering if an oximeter with an alarm would be better - perhaps waking her as many times but not causing so much distress for her, my brother and the whole family - and if that waking would trigger her to breath when she went back to sleep. I realize this is not about my directly but indirectly the whole family is suffering. Thank you

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Better to use nasal mask.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question on Ask a doctor forum.
I can understand your concern.
Yes, you are right.
Indirectly whole family is suffering.
CPAP masks are not easy to accept.
There are many reason for this.
Common ones are ill fitted mask (inappropriate size), inappropriate pressure settings etc.
So first check whether her mask size is appropriate or not.
Then check her pressure settings.
Some patients find it easy to use nasal mask.
So you can try nasal mask in her case.
Please let me know
1. Which mask she is using?
2. What are her pressure settings?
Please reply me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your sister in law. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (0 minute later)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (17 minutes later)

My brother has bought 4 or 5 masks plus had some loaned to him. He has gone to two sleep clinics for advice, products, data reading and pressure adjustments. Sorry I don't know the data but could find out. She has the full mask/hose etc. Something that is less cumbersome might be better. What is a nasal mask like? and is an oximeter with alarm a possibility. Thanks again.

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (0 minute later)

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Nasal mask covers nose only, not entire mouth and nose.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Ask a doctor forum.
I can understand your concern.
Nasal mask covers nose only while face mask covers entire nose and mouth.
Some patients are more comfortable with nasal mask.
So she can try this.
Yes, oximeter with alarm are available but it is quite costly.
I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (0 minute later)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (9 hours later)

Nasal mask sounds very promising! Also I bought an oximeter online for $130 that I thought worked well - do you think that a more expensive one would be better. Do you have any brands or links for the nasal mask and the oximeter you would recommend? Thanks again XXXXXXX

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (0 minute later)

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (1 hour later)

Oh hey sorry I just phoned my brother and he got a nasal mask and is trying that. He said it is working better but not great - do they all have to have mouth closed? Also he said pressure is 13.3 (not sure of units) also said with mask had 6 events per hour. Does that just mean drop of 5% O2? So any advice on best nasal mask and oximeter? thanks again
XXXXXXX

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (0 minute later)

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (25 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Nasal mask should be according to her nose size.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Ask a doctor forum.
I can understand your concern.
Nasal mask should be according to her nose size.
So better to use appropriate size mask.
If needed consult her sleep doctor regarding nasal mask.
I have used oximeter from Philips. I don't know about other oximeters from your country.
Hope I have solved your query. If you are not having further queries, then please close the conversation and rate my answer.
You can ask me directly on bit.ly/askdrkaushalbhavsar.
Wishing good health to your sister in law. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad