My mom is 84 and her new heart doctor is wanting her to take a sleep study and possibly start using CPAP machine?

My mom is 80 and 2 years in to diagnosed Alzheimer’s.
She’s tired ALL the time, so she had a sleep study done and is suppose to wear a CPap, but refuses. Her sleep study showed that she stops breathing 38 times per minute!!
Combine that with the alzheiemers brain wasting away. It’s a horrible combination. She sleeps 20-22 hours EVERY day and my 87 year old father cannot get her to Do what the doctors suggest. She has severe short term memory issues of course.
As a family, we have resigned ourselves that she will more than likely die in her sleep from lack of oxygen. Some things medicine just can’t fix.
As a full time care giver at age 87, I remind my Dad at how much easier he has it than most caregivers. My mom is always in bed. She doesn’t wander, she doesn’t follow him around, She doesn’t get angry, anxious or obnoxious....because she’s literally SLEEPING her life away.
I think this is a pretty sweet deal for her. So much of the Alzheimer’s angst and difficulties are not an issue.
its taken my Dad time to accept this, but he sees the benefits now.
Life......full of surprises.

Back in the fall of 2004 at age 61, I noticed I was having a terrible time at my work as a library/media guy in a middle school. I could not learn anything new. I was tired all the time, taking 3 hour naps Saturday and Sunday, sometimes a half hour nap at school. I had no creativity, no problem-solving ability. And then I found out I was forgetting how to do my job. Over Christmas break I realized I was also very depressed and decided to see my doctor after the break. When I told him what was happening, he replied that I needed to do a sleep study. It took 2 1/2 months to get in because they were so busy.
The wired me up, I went to sleep and they woke me half-way through the night and put a CPAP mask on. In the morning they had a machine adjusted for my use.
They explained that the reason I was depressed was that I could not dream. The mind needs to dream, otherwise you get depressed. The reason I could not learn anything new was because I had no deep sleep and long-term memories are only formed in deep sleep.
I was determined to succeed. It took me three nights to get used to the feel of the mask and I have used a CPAP machine ever since. All my abilities came back, but I had already resigned when I realized how inept I had become and I didn't want to become an embarrassment to the school.
What they didn't explain was what happens when you stop breathing. Your heart starts racing to get oxygen to the brain. When that doesn't work, you get a jolt of adrenalin to make you gasp and start breathing again. Adrenalin irritates your arteries and your body's response to that is to lay down cholesterol. Irritated arteries are a big danger.
So I got my CPAP machine in March and the following December had an emergency quadruple bypass because of my clogged arteries. It was then I was told of the connection between sleep apnea and clogging arteries. When I learned that, I decided to use my CPAP machines while napping, too. Why hurt yourself? Yes, you have to get used to wearing the mask. But you can.
Whether someone that old can learn is another question.
I routinely get 7 or more hours of sleep a night. My latest machine gives me a score each night on how well I did. I chart all the information to monitor how I am doing. My most frequent score is 100, then 99, 98, 97, etc. My most frequent number of sleep stoppages per hour is .5, then .2 I had one month last fall where I had 29 scores of 100 out of 30 nights. Then the mask leakage problems began. I still score in the 90s each night, but seldom reach 100.
When it is time to sleep, I kiss my wife goodnight, put on my mask, pull the covers over my head and am often asleep in a minute. I sometimes awake when I change from one side to the other, but immediately go to sleep again. My good sized bladder means I seldom need the bathroom until morning.
I love having all my abilities back. I exercise 2-3 days a week, am trying to learn a foreign language and enjoy having a mind that works well.
I have no idea how this would work with someone so old and further along in their decline. But there are many potential benefits from succeeding with this if you can.

Hello Kneedeep01, My mother, 83 1/2, has severe lung issues due to misdiagnosed hiatal hernia and osteoporosis. In July 2020 she was rushed to the ER for oxygen levels in the 80 range. She is now on O2 for the rest of her life. Easy? No, but she adapted. In Aug 2020 her O2 was out of whack again. She was delirious, incoherent, had erratic breathing and was again rushed to ER. Turns out her carbon dioxide levels had reached the high toxic range. Bottom line diagnosis was a bipap machine. The Dr's would NOT release her until there was one, in place at the hospital, for her to come home with. Why, in God's name, would we question or refuse one? To refuse would quickly end my mother's life. And so began our bipap journey. Easy? Heck NO!!! I had to gently, but firmly, explain to Mom why this HAD TO BE. NO CHOICE! PERIOD! It is not cruel to love someone so much that hard decisions must be made. It IS cruel to knowingly allow fears and misinformation dictate these decisions. I KNOW one cannot MAKE/FORCE a loved one to wear one. My Mom is of sound mind and I have always been able to calmly educate her of the necessities she doesn't understand. Plus it helped that I have been a long time cpap user. After many tries with various masks I have found the nasal pillow to be the most comfortable. The face masks do not suit everyone and in these times of COVID trying on the many shapes and sizes is out of the question. A pulmonary doctor will oversee the study. I would recommend this be done at a sleep study facility. While inconvenient for some they are already set up with the equipment necessary. If she is afraid of doing this on her own, see if they would allow you or another trusted person stay with her. If absolutely not an option look into at home. A very important factor is the medical supply company that provides the equipment. In these COVID times many are overwhelmed with pulmonary patients and have left customer service in the past. Problems with mine in 15yrs=1 or 2 in the beginning. Problems with Mom's 1 month=95%. Hers do not answer the phone, return calls, did not measure and fit her mask properly, do not follow up with comfort of mask, demonstrate how to properly place machine and adjust mask in sleep position and piss poor delivery to name just a few. Her doctor recommended a certain type of mask for her comfort and they claim they do not carry it and oh well is their answer. Needless to say I found another reputable medical supply source that does and we will be transferring her care to them. This is not an easy process. So make sure, from day ONE, that what the Dr recommends is something they carry. It probably sounds complicated but it is not. Mom still uses her oxygen 24/7 and her bipap as required. A bipap is a cpap with carbon dioxide expulsion. Both mom and I are so proud of the way she has adapted and learned how to use her equipment. Her O2 levels are steady at 98% and there are no CO2 buildups. She sleeps throughout the night with no none breathing episodes. She is alert and well rested every day. I have my Mom back and hope to have her as long as God allows. To me it is a painless, no brainer.

Kneedeep01: Unless she has sleep apena, I cannot advocate to use a CPAP machine for someone like your mother - I see in your profile that she has Alzheimer's.

I do not recommend the Sleep Study or CPAP either. I'm an in-home caregiver for a lady 83 years old with a bad heart who has CHF/A-Fib and a Pacemaker. She also has the swelling in her feet & legs due to her bad heart. Pulmonary tests show her lungs are good; all her medical issues are due to her bad heart. She told me she tried the CPAP and could not get much sleep because it was noisy. She now has a home-oxygen unit located in a Guest Bedroom (away from her Master Bedroom) with 50' tubing and nasal canule so she can get a quiet and good night's sleep. With the longer tubing, she is able to get about the long length of her rancher home on her walker and be more independent.

C-pap machines when fit correctly aren’t noisy. If she has sleep apnea it can help not hinder her health. I suggest having the sleep study to find out.

I've worked as a Sleep Tech before for years and we saw people in their 80s there all the time, both men and women. With her chronic health conditions, if she does have Sleep Apnea, proper Cpap use would likely increase her quality of life a great deal.

My main concern would be that she would forget to use it due to her Alzheimer's. There is a definite adjustment period to get used to wearing a mask. I took me a couple of months to use it regularly even knowing all I do about them; and many patients give up.

Modern machines are not noisy at all for what it's worth.

I have obstructive sleep apnea which was caught 15 years ago @ ago when i was 50 yo. I was having 29 sec. of nonbreathing in 60 sec. I snored, had many headaches, fatigue, trouble staying awake, & awake about every hour during the night. I have tried all types of masks & because I'm a nighttime mouth breather I have to wear a full face mask. Some are fortunate enough to wear the nasal ones. The machine makes very little noise ( much less that someone snoring for sure). The thought that blood is not flowing to my brain & heart for 29 out of 60 secs. is enough to make me tolerate the annoying mask. After a short period of wearing it I got at least 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I wear it all night & I feel so much better, gone are the headaches, daytime sleepiness, It's worth it! That said, if mom doesn't take O2 off at night & doesn't get up often then it might be worth it to have the study. My mom, however would not keep her oxygen on which she was to wear 24 hrs./day let alone something bulky on her face. Her doctor had increased her nighttime oxygen level to help compensate the drop in her O2 level when she slept. You need to evaluate your mom's behavior's & decide if she would benefit from the CPAP machine or would she try to fight it. You can ask mom, but she might give you an accurate answer.

Ask the doctor why he wants the sleep study and what are the benefits. It is hard for some people to adjust to it. The new machines and masks are easier to adjust to.

I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea that was diagnosed when I was 51 years old. I had a sleep study done at a sleep center. I would stop breathing about 20 times an hour.

I think I had sleep apnea for decades.
I would often wake up with a headache and was tired during the day.  My sleep apnea caused me to hallucinate during the night. It's scary seeing strange men in my bedroom or bugs crawling up the walls. I remembered the hallucinations. They seemed so real. I was semi-awake when they happened. I would also choke a lot in my sleep. One night I told my husband to feel my throat because I thought I swallowed a cheese grater that I bought the day before. I did so many weird things in my sleep, like asking my husband who is it, whose there. I would fiddle with the outlets. I unplug them and plug them back in multiple times. That's a bit dangerous. I have so many stories.

Once I started with my CPAP machine all that stopped. It has been 15 years and I have never had another hallucination. No more frogs in the bed or bugs on the wall or strange men in my bedroom. I never go to sleep without my machine. I don't have headaches in the morning and I am not tired during the day. My sleep is so peaceful and restful.

My hose on my CPAP has a attachment that just snaps off for me to go to the bathroom. It is very easy. It takes about 30 days to really get used to it. I now reach for it nightly by habit and it isn't uncomfortable. I can tell a difference in my energy for sure if I skip a night. Also not sleepy during the day anymore. Age should not be a factor. It is annoying to me when it is insinuated that just because you are elderly you don't deserve the best medical care that is possible.

Thought you might be interested in this study

Link between Alzheimer’s and sleep apnea affirmed in brain tissue study

https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/alzheimers-dementia-sleep-apnea-link-brain-tissue-rmit/

Hi, My Mom had a sleep study and went on a CPAP at age 85 due to obstructive sleep apena. She is now 89 and has Afib. Yes, it was a hard adjustment period. Actually it was a nightmare for my family, but we held firm and I helped her through the period (she would call out for me many times at night due to CPAP mask/hose issues). But she did adjust! Mom now sleeps like a baby, better than she has for years! Her mood has improved along with better cognition. I get the cold chills thinking about my poor mom NOT having her Cpap. We believe that the Sleep Apnea gave also my Mom her dementia. It is a huge risk factor. I would do everything you can to avoid this complication.
On thing that GREATLY helped Moms transition to the CPAP machine is we moved her bed near the wall. We then got a commode. We placed the commode against the wall so it is safe and braced. This way SHE DOES NOT HAVE TO TAKE OFF THE HOSE AT NIGHT. She had so much trouble with removing the hose, it was a nightmare! Now she steps out of the bed, takes two steps and can go to the restroom and get right back in bed. She DOES NOT have to remove the hose! Hallelujah! We have the CPAP on a small step stool next to head of her bed. We drill and drill Mom to be care to not get tangled with the hose. Even with Moms moderate dementia she does a wonderful job not getting tangled with the hose. Very low risk. The hose is short and the bed is close to the commode. No problems! I make sure to quickly dump the commode contents in the toilet for her every morning so it is low key and she never feels like it is a bother.
This has been a major game changer for us so our family can sleep through the night. Also as an added plus Moms Doctor said that many seniors fall and break bones at NIGHT when they are sleepy and go to the bathroom. We didn't want this complication on top of Mom's other medical issues.
Be sure to place the commode against a wall for stability. We also have a small cardboard box, next to the commode, that is just the right height with a roll of toilet paper on it. This way she does not need to bend down to the floor to pick up her toilet paper. I make sure the small/tall box is placed towards the mid-back area to the left of the commode so that it is a NOT a trip hazard. There is no way it will cause her to trip due to the placement. I hope this helps-Mom refused, kicked and screamed when we first tried out this system and we asked (demanded) that she try it out for "two weeks." We told her that if she does not like it, we will go back to her old routine of the regular bathroom. After 5 days she completely saw the light and we have been using this system for over 4 years now. She likes being more independent with this method and not having to wake us up when she could not get the hose detached. It has also been as blessing as she aged and became a higher fall risk because she is already used to the commode routine. All my Best, Anne

I am 83, had a January sleep study plus many other tests for chronic fatigue and was then put on 2L oxygen at night and for naps. Reason: drops in O2 levels in my bloodstream due to emphysema after nearly one year of treatment, I notice a little more energy and a little less fatigue.
The sleep study is nothing to worry about. I had to go twice because I could not get to sleep! For the second test I was given one Ambien and Zzzzzz.