[The elderly and drug abuse]

LESA is a program of Lifestyle Enrichment for Senior Adults experiencing problems associated with their use of alcohol and other psychoactive drugs. It includes a direct service and a community education component. The treatment approach incorporates knowledge about the normal aging process, drug dependency, and holistic health, along with interventions from addiction treatment centres, holistic care, nursing and social work. The overall goal of the program is to improve the physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and environmental health of seniors who are living independently in the community and experiencing problems. To be admitted to this program, clients must be residents of Ottawa-Carleton who are 55 years of age or older; live independently; use psychoactive drugs in a manner presumed, or confirmed, to be hazardous; and express the desire for improved health or well-being. This article, based on documents available in both French and English, presents the special features of the program and its philosophy. Problematic drug use has four basic, interactive elements: the person(s) who uses the drug(s); the reasons for use; the drug(s) used; and the consequence of use. Effective intervention takes all of these elements into account. Early onset, intermittent problems, and late onset problem users, all have a reason for use. The positive and negative consequences of drug use, and the implications for seniors and for the rest of the population, are explained.

Social acknowledegments for children with disabilities: effects of service dogs

While service dogs are known to perform important tasks for people using wheelchairs, such as retrieving dropped items or pulling a wheelchair, they may also serve as an antidote for social ostracism. Adults in wheelchairs have been found to receive many more social acknowledgements when a service dog is present than when not. This study examined whether disabled children in wheelchairs with service dogs receive more frequent social acknowledgment than when no dog is present. Behaviors of passersby in response to children in wheelchairs were recorded in shopping malls and on school playgrounds. In both settings, social acknowledegments (e.g., friendly glances, smiles, and conversations) were substantially more frequent when a service dog was present. Social effects of the dog were more pronounced in shopping malls, typical of unfamiliar settings where the child would be likely to experience being ignored or overlooked. Service dogs may assist in normalizing the social interactions for children with disabilities producing social isolation.

Cathecholamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels in ischemic brain. Influence of p-chlorophenylalanine

The effect of ischemia on catecholamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels in brain cortex was examined in the gerbil stroke model. Unilateral common carotid artery occlusion produced bilateral decrease in cortical dopamine levels in gerbils both symptomatic and asymptomatic of cerbral ischemia. The 5-HT progressively decreased only in the occluded hemisphere of ischemic animals. In p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-treated gerbisl, dopamine decreased only in the occluded hemisphere of symptomatic animals, but norepinephrine became decreased bilaterally compared with controls. The 5-HT decrease was twice that seen in untreated animals. It is suggested that these results indicate initial release together with reduced synthesis of monoamines in ischemic brain. The incidence of ischemia induced by carotid occlusion decreased from 44% to 26% in PCPA-treated animals, which also suggests that depletion of 5-HT available for neuronal release prior to the induction of ischemia may reduce stroke incidence by limiting impairment of collateral vasocapacitance. PCPA pretreatment did not influence the development of edema in the occluded hemisphere of ischemic animals once ischemia was established.