We prospectively studied 300 patients older than 75 years who had been hospitalised at least one week in our internal medicine departement, in order to analyse their outcome with in 3 and 6 months after discharge from the hospital. 50 % of them only came back home immediately. Among 299 patients reviewed at 6 months, mortality was high (24 %) and need for long term care in geriatric units was relatively low (15 %).