Hi, Vickie, If your Dad has decent insurance, get his Doc to prescribe a machine as a life savingmeasure to keep the back of his throat clear. Rent it for a month to see how effective it is, then tell the Ins co. that he will need to be using it from now on. Our INs Co. purchased one for my husband because they did not want to incur long term rental fees. Hope it will help hi, and I think it m;ight be a good solution. Amy