Question: how long can an elderly person live on dialysis?
Answer: 75- to 79-year-olds on dialysis live 3.1 years on average, compared to 9.2 years; 80- to 85-year-olds on dialysis live 2.5 years on average, compared to 6.7 years; and. Patients on dialysis ages 85 and up live two years on average, compared to 3.5 years for their healthy peers.