The biggest change in Aged Care in years by challenging ageism, negative attitudes to the elderly and providing holistic comprehensive medical care.
"YOUR ELDERLY PARENTS FAILING HEALTH. IS IT AGEING OR A TREATABLE CONDITION? By Dr Peter Lipski. Geriatrician.
Many people experience the frustration of watching their elderly relatives' health decline every day only to be told that it's just "old age" that causes dizziness, falls, confusion, malnutrition, and breathlessness and more. Frustrated families hear time again ""what do you expect- he is 89 years old you know!" Too many older people end up in the overcrowded public hospital emergency department when this could be prevented by better medical care.
How often do we see our elderly relatives or friends physically declining, slowing up, taking too many pills and struggling at home alone?
This is one of the most important and influential medical books of our time! So relevant for everyone, written in simple powerful language and answers the most common questions everyone asks about older peoples' health, says Dr Lipski.
Experienced Geriatrician Dr Peter Lipski in his latest book dispels the huge myths and negative stereotypes about getting older and shows that
getting old doesn't need to mean declining health. Dr Lipski explains how even the most frail elderly can have dramatic improvements in their general health from comprehensive care, accurate diagnoses, attention to detail, getting the simple things right, and treating reversible factors.
Dr Lipski explains that it is never too late to treat an older patient! The greatest risk to the health of the elderly is ignorance, blaming "old age" for everything and presenting late to the doctor. Many older people are denied proper medical care because their symptoms are commonly blamed inappropriately on "old age" rather than treatable medical conditions. Older patients can have spectacular improvements in their symptoms and condition with simple better medical treatment.
Dr Lipski describes common challenges in the health of the elderly including-
- Malnutrition and starvation of the elderly
- Adverse drug reactions -the commonest cause for preventable hospital emergency department presentations
- Over treatment of diabetic frail elderly
- Incorrect measurement of Blood Pressure by Doctors, Nurses and Hospitals
- Impaired older drivers and the burden of drivers with dementia
- Failure of Single Organ Medicine to deal with the frail elderly effectively
- Blaming serious treatable medical conditions on "old age"
- How to prevent falls in the elderly.
- Warning signs of acute confusion and why it is so commonly missed and not treated.
Dr Lipski explains the warning signs of common Geriatric Syndromes that most families and carers of the elderly have to deal with and when to get help.
Lipski, Peter: - "Dr Peter Lipski is a practising Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine in Australia. He graduated from Medicine at Sydney University in 1982 with Honours, and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in Geriatric Medicine in 1988. He was awarded the postgraduate degree of MD (Doctor of Medicine) through Sydney University in 1992 with his research entitled "Gut Bacteria, Nutrition and the Small Bowel in the Elderly". He became a Conjoint Associate Professor with the University of Newcastle, NSW Australia in 2005. He became a Fellow of the Australian & New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine in 2009. Dr Lipski has focused on holistic multi-disciplinary acute care, inpatient consultations, orthogeriatrics, elderly rehabilitation, private outpatient consultations and home visit consultation services. He also visits some of the local Aged Care Hostels and Nursing Homes on the NSW Central Coast to care for patients and support their General Practitioners. Dr Lipski's areas of special interest include: - Frail elderly with multiple medical problems. - Geriatric malnutrition. - Adverse drug reactions in the elderly. - Falls and balance disorders in the elderly. - Delirium/confusion in the elderly. - Dementia. - Medical fitness to drive assessments for the elderly. - Swallowing disorders in the elderly. - Osteoporosis with fractures. - Incontinence. - Peri-operative medical assessments. - Cognitive capacity assessments. He is currently in full-time private practice in Geriatric Medicine at Brisbane Waters Private Hospital in Woy Woy, Central Coast NSW Australia."
