Standing sedation with medetomidine and butorphanol in captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana).

Doses for standing sedation allowing for various procedures in otherwise inaccessible, untrained captive African elephant bulls are presented. Thirty-three standing sedations were performed in 12 males aged 8-30 years (one to four sedations per animal). Each bull received a combination of 0.009 ± 0.002 mg/kg medetomidine and 0.03 ± 0.007 mg/kg butorphanol. Full sedation was reached on average 25.5 min after injection. The addition of hyaluronidase (1000-2000 IU) significantly reduced time to full sedation to 16.5 min (paired t test, P = 0.024). Reversal was induced with intramuscular atipamezole 0.008 (±0.002) and naltrexone 0.035 (±0.015) mg/kg. Recovery took on average 7 min (3-18 min). The medetomidine/butorphanol combination provided safe standing sedation for smaller procedures.

[Family care for the aged in multigenerational households (author's transl)]. / Die Betreuung kranker alter Menschen im Mehrgenerationenhaushalt--Zwischenergebnisse eines laufenden Forschungsprojektes.

Multigenerational household with widowed elderly above the age of 70 have been studied by interviewing the aged person and his/her daughter/daughter in law. The sample is described according to household composure and some sociodemographic characteristics. Data analysis focused on the relationship between variables in the elderly person and variables in the daughter/daughter in law. Psychic and somatic well-being in the relatives can be predicted by the degree of competence/dependency in the aged family member, but less so with a general health assessment. Organic brain conditions in the aged parents seem to have most adverse effects on the daughter/daughter in law when they are of a moderate degree.

[How families deal with demented relatives--provisional results of an ongoing study (author's transl)]. / Umgangsformen mit dementiven Störungen in der Familie--Zwischenergebnisse eines laufenden Forschungsprojektes.

In the course of a geriatric-sociological field-investigation 140 families were studied, which live with an old relative and take care of him in case of disease. 45 of the old persons suffered from a dementive syndrome of medium or severe degree. All the information obtained in these 45 families (precoded-interviews, questionnaires, free-interviews, follow-up contacts, group-work with care-taking relatives) was inspected regarding the question whether the families, when dealing with the diseased family-member, showed one or more of the following reactions: 1. Reactions of despair 2. Sympathy for the experience of decreasing efficiency 3. Dementia and neurotic interaction 4. Activating care 5. Pedagogic efforts 6. Inclusion of children 7. Readiness and avoidance of contact 8. Readiness to spoil the demented relative - The results show, that the relatives make altogether great efforts ehen caring for their demented family members; this refers to psychic energy as well as to material means.

[Treatment of the sick elderly in households accommodating several generations]. / Zur Betreuung kranker alter Menschen im Mehrgenerationenhaushalt.

Multigenerational households with widowed persons aged 70 and more have been studied in order to determine the relationship between the following two groups of variables: (a) variables in the aged person describing the existence and degree of an organic mental impairment due to a dementive process and of other signs of physical illnesses. (b) variables in her daughter or daughter in law consisting of selfratings of psychosomatic complaints and of attitude-scales. Results were as follows: (a) If there were indications of personality changes due to an organic brain syndrom the relatives had a lower degree of life-satisfaction and more frequently suffered from psychosomatic symptoms and interpersonal stress than those, whose old relatives showed an unaltered personality. (b) A great number of comparisons failed to show any statistical differences. Especially severe physical illness, organic brain syndrome and the need for physical care were not related to life satisfaction, psychosomatic complaints, stress due to emotional involvement and the attitude towards home-care. Our attempt to explain the missing correlations led to the following factors: the small size of the sample, self-selection of the sample and possibly inappropriate operationalisation and measurement of variables. In respect to these results the ongoing study will be modified in some details: There will be a qualitative analysis of transcribed semi-structured interviews. The proportion of families with severely demented relatives will be increased. In an additional step we shall examine families, who have decided to transfer their old member into an institution.