A&I Financial Services Periscope

A & I Financial Services LLC Newsletter

For the Week of
April 19, 2012
 
Greetings!  


Dr. John C. Scott visited our office last Tuesday and gave our clients valuable information about how to care for our elderly relatives, friends and their medicine. He discussed some of the challenges with dementia, drugs, delirium, depression, falls and transitions.

 

Some of the key take-aways about dementia include: 

  • Some causes of dementia include hardening of the microscopic blood vessels, similar to "hardening of the arteries" from cholesterol plaques that cause heart attacks and strokes.
  • Alzheimer's affects all races, all populations, and is an increasingly complex problem as it is studied.
  • Mixing medicines can be risky for elderly patients:
    • Avoid multiple drugs if you can. A polypharmacy, taking more than 5 drugs at a time, increases your risks dramatically.
    • Mixing 5 drugs or more is beyond the scope of predictive ability in medicine today!
  • Avoid hospitals: Morbidity and mortality risks increase 30% within the walls of a hospital.
  • Google "Beers Criteria" for a list of drugs geriatric patients should avoid; 53 are on the list today.
  • Here are a few notes about delirium:
    • Delirium is a temporary concentration deficit, commonly confused with dementia, however it gets better over time where Alzheimer's (and other dementia) worsens with time.
    • Delirium is common after a hospitalization.
    • 100% of the elderly have delirium in an ICU, 80% in the hospital.
    • 50% of the time delirium is NOT diagnosed.
    • 30% of geriatric patients return to the hospital within 30 days, possibly due to delirium.

Depression is very common among the elderly. Dr. Scott found that in a recent speech he gave to 22 folks of an average age of 87, 100% of them had depression sometime in their lives!

Finally, falling is common and it is a quick way to catch other complications.

 

Transitions, between home and hospital, between areas in a hospital, to rehab, to home, often leads to dangerous complications, and usually these are due to communication. Sometimes, the drug dosages change and are not communicated between caregivers - so be especially careful here!

 

Usually, for geriatric patients, Dr. Scott starts with the medicines they are taking to alleviate the issues and tries to wean his geriatric patients off as many medicines as possible.

 

Good advice from Dr. Scott - thank you! 

Weekly Economic Update 

 

CONSUMER PRICES ROSE 0.3% IN MARCH Last month's gain in the federal government's Consumer Price Index matched the consensus forecast of economists polled by Briefing.com and followed gains of 0.4% in February and 0.2% in January. Gasoline prices were up 1.7% last month. Core CPI rose 0.2%, so that put annualized consumer inflation at 2.7%, less than the 2.9% recorded in February. Headline producer prices were flat in March, while the core Producer Price Index rose 0.3% (the fifth straight monthly rise in core PPI). Economists polled by Reuters had expected overall PPI to rise 0.2% last month. (1,2,3)
 
CONSUMER SENTIMENT WAVERS  
April's initial Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey came in at 75.7, slightly below the Briefing.com consensus projection of 76.1 and down from the final March number of 76.2. Frustration over gas prices may have had an effect. (2)
 
BEIGE BOOK: RECOVERY PROCEEDING NICELY 
The Federal Reserve's latest snapshot of a dozen U.S. economic regions reported "modest to moderate" economic growth overall, with all 12 Fed districts anecdotally noting expansion. For the record, the Fed has described the recovery using the "modest to moderate" phrase in three consecutive Beige Books. (4)
 
OIL & GAS PRICES FALL; GOLD RISES 
Friday, AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report had regular unleaded averaging $3.90 a gallon, down $0.035 from last week. On the NYMEX, oil lost 0.46% on the week to settle at $102.83 Friday; gold settled at $1,660.20 after a 1.85% weekly gain. (5)
 
BULLS BATTLE BEARS  
April 9-13 was a volatile stretch for the market. For the week, the DJIA went -1.61% to 12,849.59, the S&P 500 -1.99% to 1,370.26 and the NASDAQ -2.25% to 3,011.33. All S&P 500 sectors lost ground on the week as concerns about Spain's debt and U.S. corporate earnings affected investor outlooks. (6,7) 

Market Summary

% Change

Y-T-D

1Yr Chg

5-Year Avg

DJIA

+5.17

+4.72

+0.47

NASDAQ

+15.59

+9.05

+4.28

S&P 500

+8.96

+4.25

-1.07

(Source: msn.money.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov, treasurydirect.gov - 4/13/12).  Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Indices are unmanaged, and investors cannot invest in them directly
Create a beautiful week!

Karl Frank, MBA, MSF
Certified Financial Planner (R)
A & I Financial Services LLC
303.690.5070
 
Citations:   

 

(1) -  www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/business/economy
/consumer-inflation-up-modestly.html [4/13/12]
(2) - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2012/04/09-13 [4/13/12]
(3) - www.cnbc.com/id/47027476 [4/12/12]
(4) - www.marketwatch.com/story/modest-to-moderate-economic-growth-beige-book-2012-04-11-148140 [4/11/12]
(5) - money.msn.com/market-news/post.aspx?post=fadc5c34-4c33-4af9-90e2-9c80bb50cbcb [4/13/12]
(6) - montoyaregistry.com/Financial-Market.aspx?financial-market=common-financial-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them&category=29 [4/13/12]
(7) - www.cnbc.com/id/47040305 [4/13/12]

 
 
Securities offered through Geneos Wealth Management, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.  Investment advisory services offered through A & I Financial Services LLC, registered investment advisor.
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Words for Thought

"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body. It is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity."
 
John F. Kennedy

Karl Frank In Investment Advisor Magazine

Holiday header
Investment Advisor - November 2011
 
Investment Advisor Magazine's November 2011 edition features Karl Frank.  In the article "Never Satisfied," John Sullivan writes:  Passion born of tragedy drives Karl Frank to do all he can to help business owners ensure a legacy for loved ones and heirs.  Industrial age publisher and philanthropist Frederick Bonfils said there is no hope for the satisfied man. If that's the case, Karl Frank is full of hope. 

 

"I'm never satisfied," Frank says matter-of-factly when asked about his advisory firm

.....Read More.

 

  Riddle of the Week

 

 What is the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness? Something you cannot express happiness without? Something that is always in risk, but never in danger?

 

Last week's riddle:

    

Karen is twice her brother's age and half her father's age. In 22 years, her brother will be half the father's age. How old is Karen now? 

   

Last week's answer:  

 

 

Karen is 22 years old. 

Karl Frank was interviewed by 9News on March 28th, 2012 regarding "3 Things You Should Do if You Win the Mega Millions Lottery". 

Click Here to View Video