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Dealing with Others
Sharing & Explaining CPAP or BiPAP
Usage In Social Situations
Philadelphia
(October 18, 2001) -
You're single, dating, and plan on getting intimate with your love interest.
Do you tell about the machine you sleep with, or not use the machine and snore,
risking more damage to your internal organs, and possibly death?
Terri
Weaver,
PhD, RN, CS, FAAN,
who serves as an associate professor of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, and Ron Richard, who serves as ResMed's vice president of marketing for the Americas in the
company's Poway, California offices, will be the guest speakers at the
Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Awake In Philly Sleep Apnea Education and Support
Group meeting.
Terri will address the Awake In Philly Support Group
on the topic of "Overcoming Dating, Marriage, and Social Issues Related to
xPAP Use." During the meeting, Terri will discuss some common issues CPAP or BiPAP
users face, such as noise from the machine; explaining your use of a machine to
a bed partner; and how your mate may need some help adjusting to the machine in
your life, as well.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting
will be held in the Conference Room at the Northeast Regional Branch of the Free
Library of Philadelphia, 2228 Cottman Ave.
Sleep apnea can be a serious disorder with grave
consequences. Apnea often goes undetected and undiagnosed for years. Untreated
sleep apnea can lead to heart damage, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, and
feelings of depression, among other problems. Apnea's impact is far-reaching.
In fact, family life, job performance, social life, driving ability, and visual
acuity are among a few of the areas impacted by untreated or undiagnosed sleep
apnea. Research shows that treating sleep apnea normalizes one's risk for
motor vehicle crashes.
Dr. Weaver is internationally recognized for her research on the affect
of illness on the conduct of daily behaviors and assessment of treatment
outcomes. She also developed the Pulmonary Functional Status Scale (PFSS) to
measure functional status in chronic pulmonary disease.
During the Awake In Philly meeting, Dr. Weaver
will focus on how to discuss sleep disorders and the various treatments,
including CPAP and BiPAP therapy with others.
Dr. Weaver's current research focuses on characterizing outcomes
associated with sleep disorders and their treatment. She developed the first
instrument to measure functional status in disorders of excessive sleepiness in
1997. This measure has been employed in research and clinical trials
internationally. She is also the principal investigator of an international
study to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure
(CPAP) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA). The study will be
one of the largest studies to furnish evidence of the impact of OSA on quality
of life, and to document the effectiveness of treatment with continuous positive
airway pressure (CPAP).
Dr. Weaver and her colleagues were the first to characterize the acute
decline in compliance observed during the first week of CPAP treatment. This
study is currently being extended in a study designed to isolate factors
contributing to this non-compliance, in which Dr. Weaver serves as the principal
investigator. The study is being conducted as part of a Specialized Center of
Research (SCOR) grant in collaboration with the Center for Sleep and Respiratory
Neurobiology, School of Medicine, and the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology,
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Weaver is co-director of the Center for Urban Health Research, and
member of the Center for Gerontological Nursing Science, School of Nursing,
Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, and member of
the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology and Institute on Aging, School
of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Ron has a a strong background, spanning more than 26
years, in healthcare. He's earned a Bachelor's degree in Business
Administration, an Associate's degree in Liberal Arts, and is a registered
Emergency Medical Technician and a certified Respiratory Therapist.
In his travels to Philadelphia, Ron will be bringing five (5) Ultra
Mirage masks and three (3) of ResMed's new Mirage Series II Full Face masks to the
meeting. ResMed is donating the masks to Awake In Philly to be given
away, by drawing, during the meeting. See the rules for all details. Web information on
the new masks is not yet available.
Awake In Philly
sponsors, in alphabetical order, include B.F.
Ascher & Co., Inc.; Hans Rudolph,
Inc.; Maril
Products; Respironics, Inc.; and TalkAboutSleep.com.
The Northeast Regional Library is conveniently located on several SEPTA
bus routes, as well as being conveniently located near a SEPTA train station.
For public transportation to the Northeast Regional Library, please call SEPTA
at 215-580-7800 or visit the SEPTA website at http://www.septa.org. The Northeast Regional
Library is about one-half mile northwest of Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt
Boulevard, and may be contacted at 215-685-0500. Driving directions to the
library may be accessed on the Awake In Philly site at http://www.AwakeInPhilly.org/Meetings/NERL.shtml.
Awake In Philly
meetings are designed to offer support to anyone who must deal with the impact
of sleep apnea, including the patient, the spouse, a co-worker or supervisor,
researchers, physicians, attorneys, among others. Everyone is encouraged to
attend the meetings.
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