Invited commentary on: Older people with long-standing mental illness: the graduates

The article by David Jolley and his colleagues (Jolley et al, 2004, this issue) raises a number of issues about older people who have enduring mental illnesses. The following contribution aspires to be a complementary article and attempts to expand on some areas that may be of relevance. These concern the disabilities that ‘graduates’ have (including cognitive deficits), comorbidity, prognosis and management, ending with a note on future research directions.