Life expectancy is rising in most of the world and with it we have a rising number of elderly individuals in our society. We are used to the type of medicine that is best suited for younger patients – identify the disease, give the best and most effective treatment and cure the patient. However, in elderly individuals the goals might be completely different. Do you think we are going to far sometimes? Are we really treating the patient or are we sometimes just treating the numbers.  If you’re thinking about these things, you might be on the right track. We have been talking about these things with Elke Schaeffner a well known expert in the field of CKD and elderly populations.