How to check if a connection is alive ?

Hi,

Access 2000
Postgresql 7.4.1
newest PG-ODBC

how can I check if a DAO- or ADO-connection is still alive ?
I'd like to maintain a connection to a remote PG server within my VBA code.
It should be opend when the users start the application and closed when
the app terminates.
There are longer times while the application is idle and then some times
when it hits the server very often.

E. g. I write a log in the DB where the app says who did when what.
I'd prefer not to strain the server and the LAN with permanent Conn
Open/Close sequences.

There will be at least one external user who enters the LAN via a SSH
tunnel over the internet.
This connection is naturally worse in responsivity than the internal LAN
and there are chances that the tcp/ip connection breaks or the ODBC
times out.

If Access runs into a stale connection it plays dead until it's ODBC
timer runs out and that can take a while.
It would be better if I could check somehow wether the connection is
still there, before sending a command over it.

Is there a way to do that ?