The amount of liver polyploidy in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) was compared with that of an age-matched control group. There was great variability in the percentage of cells in each ploidy class from one individual to the next in both control and AD subjects. AD patients had a lower percentage of 2N cells, and a higher percentage of 4N cells than the controls. There was no difference in the percentage of 8N or 16N cells in AD, indicating that there was no shift to higher ploidy classes in AD. The most stringent statistical analysis failed to reveal statistically significant differences between the AD and control groups.

In this study, the system of care for 4907 irreversible dementia (ID) sufferers in Metropolitan Toronto and the Region of Peel was investigated. Mail survey data were compiled from senior administrative personnel (data include observation ratings by clinical and direct service staff) within 41 long-term care facilities, 15 acute care hospitals, and 30 community services. Consistent with the results of other descriptive studies, the findings reveal that: 1) long-term care facilities had the highest average proportion of ID sufferers; 2) the majority of ID sufferers were 75 years and older and predominantly female; and 3) ID sufferers on community service caseloads were less impaired than those in long-term care facilities. The study findings also indicate that the following factors may be important in assessing the care and management of ID sufferers within long-term care facilities and acute care hospitals: type of facility, admission criteria, arrangements for accommodation, number and nature of special programs, extent of inservice training, levels of staffing, and number and nature of family support services. In addition to these variables, the location and size of the catchment area and eligibility criteria may be important factors in similar community service assessments. The findings pertaining to the frequently used inpatient and community resources, additional resources required, and unmet needs of ID sufferers and family are discussed with respect to health care and senior support service planning and implementation within the outlined regions.

This study investigated the use by 450 recently retired men and women, of four financial strategies which might enhance financial resources. These strategies were change in expenditures, change in home production, change in assets, or post-retirement employment. Expenditure reduction was the most frequently used of these strategies. As with other research, subjective assessment of economic adequacy was more influential than actual income in affecting expenditure behaviours. The other strategies appeared to be less related to economic factors. Post-retirement employment was most influenced by work saliency. Education, used as a proxy for knowledge and skills, was found to positively correlate with changes in expenditure, home production, and assets. Perhaps the retired consider themselves powerless to improve their economic condition or do not perceive these as useful financial strategies.

This paper substantiates many limits to the general thesis which Louise Dulude has popularized under the title: “Old Age: a Women's World”. Using old age sex ratio as an indicator, the author shows that Canada's senior population has been mostly male until recently and still keeps that majority in rural areas and agricultural milieus; one country out of six in the world today and half of 18 main ethnic groups in Ontario in 1971 were mostly male at that age.

It is concluded that one sex prevailing on the other in old age is influenced by many factors: biology, history, migrations, ethnicity, milieu (rural urban) and types of activities.