I'm not an elderly person, but I've done dialysis for several years, luckily I've gotten a tranplant, (my second one) But, dialysis gave me no quality of life. It didn't do well for me as for some people my age. It aged me, bone pain was aweful. After getting home from dialysis, half my day gone it seemed, I felt like crap. Then it was the couch for the rest of the day. I barely functioned and accomplished anything. When I started to feel a bit better, it was time to go back for another treatment only to feel like crap all over again. A very short window to feeling like I was okay. Not alot of time to do much and feel productive in life. I will never do it again. The second time around on dialysis for me was the worst, perhaps because I was older - my 30's vs. my 20's, I don't know. But, if I lose this transplanted kidney - I will NEVER go back on dialysis again -- so this is it for me! Kidney failure did cause me to have a valve replacement (open-heart surgery). So, the only difference to dialyze while young I suppose is to prolong life until you get a kidney. But, the older you get, you become low priority on the transplant list. All the young ones get called first. It's rare an older person gets a transplant, they wait until they die. So, dialysis to me is useless when you are older. Why would you live the remaining life you have left feeling like crap and in pain. Sure, without dialysis you will sick, but it goes quickly and it is not prolonged.