Dr Lipski’s book has 4 main goals:
1. Extinguish the huge myths and negative stereotypes about getting older.
Listen to the radio interview here
2. Emphasise that normal ageing does not mean declining health.
3. Explain that it’s never too late to treat an older person.
4. Advise that with good holistic medical care frail older people can have dramatic and spectacular improvements in their health. Treating delirium is just one example.
Old age will not kill you! Dr Lipski wants to improve the way the health care system is treating older people. This web site has lifted the lid on misdiagnosis, malnutrition and other harmful medical myths.
Many families 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. Families hear time again “what do you expect- he is 89 years old you know!”
Many older people are denied proper medical care because their symptoms are commonly blamed inappropriately on “old age” rather than treatable medical conditions. No one should ever blame old age for failing health!
Dr Peter Lipski now retired Australian Geriatrician had many years of experience treating complex frail older people. His latest book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition” Third Edition highlights many of the important Geriatric Medicine topics on care of the elderly that families and carers need to read.
Dr Lipski’s book also includes references to his published research papers in peer reviewed medical journals and presentations at recognised medical scientific meetings.
Dr Lipski’s professional legacy centers on a fierce battle against institutionalised ageism in Western medicine. He is famously quoted as asserting that blaming "old age" for medical symptoms is a dangerous myth that effectively denies older patients proper clinical treatment. He strongly believes that common issues like dizziness, confusion, breathlessness, and falls are the results of treatable medical conditions, not a natural consequence of growing old.
Dr. Peter Lipski is widely recognised for his public advocacy against ageism in medicine, arguing that symptoms in older adults are frequently and dangerously dismissed as mere "old age" rather than treatable medical conditions.
Combating Ageism in Medicine: He frequently calls out Western healthcare systems for writing off treatable conditions (such as confusion, dizziness, falls, and breathlessness) with the phrase, "what do you expect, he is 89 years old you know!".
Exposing Geriatric Malnutrition: He gained widespread public attention via TV, radio and print arguing that elderly malnutrition is one of the biggest hidden crises in modern medicine, challenging the myth that older people naturally need to eat less.
Author of “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health: Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition?” -his practical book became a prominent guide for families navigating aged care, misdiagnoses, and over-medication.
Influential White Papers: His 2007/2026 health reform white papers outlined systemic changes to geriatric care and estimated multi-billion-dollar savings for healthcare systems if senior care is handled proactively rather than reactively in emergency departments.
Extensive Clinical Background: He has decades of experience spanning clinical geriatrics, research (MD from Sydney University on Gut Bacteria, Nutrition and the Small Bowel in the Elderly), and direct advocacy for older patients and their General Practitioners.
Dr Lipski retired from his medical practice in July 2024 but will continue to update this web site.
