[Dreams in the elderly: contents and clinical usefulness]

This article reviews the literature on the dreams of persons beyond 50 years of age. A reduced dream recall rate, if at all, does not appear to be the result of weakened memory capacities at that age, but may rather be due to a lower rate of current concerns. In a similar way, the changes in contents are not a function of aging per se, but have taken place already between the 20th and 45th year of age. The dreams of the dying can, because of the unusualness of the situation experienced by this group, be of a very particular nature and quality. At any age of life, the dream can become instrumental in healing processes. Dreams seem to be of vital importance in supportive psychotherapy after bereavement and, of course, during the process of dying.