Lies About Ageing and Older People.

Common myths about ageing. The greatest threat to the health and well-being of older people is blaming “old age” and ageing on illness, physical and cognitive decline.

Dr Lipski’s book represents a generational change in the way we think about “ageing” and the way we deal with older patients.

• Families love to use “old age’ as an excuse for illness, symptoms and impairment in their older relatives which is a dangerous excuse to say it’s OK to sick because you are old and so deny their older relatives a proper medical diagnosis and care!

• Families commonly watch their older relatives decline in health, becoming frail and simply waiting until they collapse in a crisis and end up in the hospital emergency department when it could have been all prevented!

• Why do we say these terrible negative things about our elderly relatives but never about our 15 year old children’s health! We don’t say for example, well you know my son is 15 years of age-so what do you expect!

• Some of the more common myths about ageing, and crazy lies that families quote about their unwell older relatives include: ·      

• Your memory worsens as you get older.

  ·       Memory loss is a normal part of ageing.

  ·       You get more confused as you get older.

  ·       Your thinking and memory slows up in old age.

  ·       Everyone gets more forgetful as they grow older.

  ·       Confusion is a normal part of getting older.

  ·       His memory is not bad for his age!

  ·       She is pretty good for her age!

  ·       He is forgetful because he is 85 years old you know!

  ·       Everyone’s memory gets worse with old age.

  ·       What do you expect for a 90 year old.

  ·       I hope that I am as good as that at 90 years.

  ·       She has had a hard life, so I expect her memory to be worse now.

  ·       She is not bad for her age.

  ·       He has slowed up a lot but he is 92 you know!

  ·       She keeps on falling but it’s just her old age.

  ·       I expect her to slow down and get more wobbly at her age. What do you expect!

  ·       Everyone gets unsteady in old age.

  ·       She is incontinent but she is 82 you know.

  ·       You eat less as you get older.

  ·       You don’t need as much food in older age.

  ·       He is pretty good for 90.

  ·       She is breathless but she is 92.

  ·       What do you expect for an 86 year old?

  ·       Aches and pains are a normal part of growing old.

  ·       He can’t manage at home alone but he is 89.

  ·       I wouldn’t expect that he can do the things he could do when he was younger.

  ·       It’s just old age.

• You’ve got to be kidding me! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

   For more information read Dr Peter Lipski’s book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition”.