Chronic kidney disease prevalence will continue to rise due to increased life expectancy and population ageing. It is likely that the decline in glomerular filtration rate with increasing age represents a renal manifestation of widespread vascular disease. In addition to its associated cardiovascular risk, chronic kidney disease in older people is associated with increased prevalence of geriatric syndromes such as functional and cognitive decline, which lead to disability and frailty. Competing risks for mortality, because of the co-existence of multiple co-morbidities in old age, means that the majority of older people with chronic kidney disease will not progress to end-stage renal disease. Management of chronic kidney disease in older people is complex and an individualized and holistic, rather than disease-orientated, approach is necessary, which takes into account patients’ priorities and wishes, especially frail and very elderly populations with multiple co-morbidities.

Transient global amnesia (TGA) has been described since the 19th century. It is characterized by an episode of anterograde and retrograde amnesia lasting less than 24 hours. During this episode patients are conscious and able to interact normally, but are typically distressed and repeat questions without remembering explanations. Despite progress in medical imaging, no cause for the condition has been proven. Prognosis is excellent and management centres on recognition and reassurance. We describe the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features and management.

Frailty as a clinical syndrome is becoming more widely recognized and current evidence shows the importance of early detection of pre-frail states with a potential for reversibility of poor outcomes. The purpose of this review is to present the latest literature on frailty since the last review in this journal in 2007, with a particular focus on interventions aimed at reversing the processes of frailty.

Physical training, if including specific different training modalities, reduces the fall risk in healthy community-dwelling older people, as does a home hazards modification programme. Vitamin D supplementation in older individuals with low levels of vitamin D, adjustment of psychotropic medication, and structured modification of multi-pharmacy are all drug-focused programmes that reduce the number of falls. Anti-slip shoe devices during icy conditions for older people who walk outdoors and multifaceted podiatry in patients with specific foot disability reduce the fall risk. First eye cataract surgery and pacemakers in patients with cardio-inhibitory carotid sinus hypersensitivity are surgical interventions that reduce the fall risk. Multi-factorial preventive programmes that include training, both individually designed and generally prescribed, also reduce the fall frequency. With this in mind, we ought to initiate fall preventive programmes in older people, especially in high- risk groups, to reduce the number of falls and fallers in society.

Hip fracture is a common and potentially devastating injury that occurs mainly in older people. The incidence is predicted to rise by 30% in the next 10 years alone. Many of those who recover suffer a loss of mobility and independence. There is growing emphasis to improve the care of patients sustaining hip fracture, especially in those with concurrent cognitive impairment. This review focuses on current best practice as well as several key areas of management, including analgesia, anaemia and nutrition. In doing so, we hope to identify interventions that may form the basis of a future Enhanced Recovery Pathway dedicated to hip fracture care.

Age-related changes affect all structures of the eye, and while age-related changes may influence the quality of vision, it is important to distinguish age-related physiological changes from pathological changes. This is important particularly when identifying pathological changes that may be treatable. The prevalence of visual loss increases substantially after 60 years of age and poor vision is the second most prevalent physical disability in older people. This review describes the normal ageing changes of the eye and outlines common ophthalmic diseases affecting older people. We refer to recent advances in diagnosis and treatment, and relevant current research.