Summary points

• Exercise has protective effects: it is associated with decreased disability score and decreased rate of myocardial infarction; it is also effective in very old people

• Multifactorial interventions decrease the likelihood of falls

• Low body mass considerably increases the risk of hip fracture in older women; other risk factors include alcohol consumption, prior stroke, low activity levels, use of long acting benzodiazepines, large caffeine consumption, and visual impairment

• Alendronate decreases vertebral fractures in older women and increases bone mass

• Influenza vaccine is efficacious and cost effective

• Though the apolipoprotein E4 allele is associated with Alzheimer's disease, a preventive strategy for Alzheimer's disease remains a distant goal