The aim of this study was to capture and describe what older patients undergoing the surgical process wished to talk about during perioperative dialogue with nursing staff. Background: For older people preparing for surgery is potentially a time of particular vulnerability and they may find it helpful to talk about the situation with a healthcare professional. Although other studies illustrate aspects of perioperative dialogue with patients such studies have not specifically focused on older patients. The perioperative dialogue is described as a nurse anaesthetist´s or theatre nurse´s pre-, intra-, and postoperative dialogue with the patient about the surgery. Method: The study has a hermeneutic approach. Six nurse anaesthetists and three theatre nurses from five diffrent hospitals in western Sweden documented their perioperative dialogue with a total of forty-two patients. The text from the perioperative dialogue was interpreted using hermeneutic text interpretation. Findings: During the perioperative dialogue the older patients discussed their hopes, joys and sorrows in everyday life, their body underging surgery and life after surgery. The nurses cared for these patients by providing time to talk, and by doing so, allowed the patients to express their unique individual concerns and needs. Conclusion: Facilitation of perioperative dialogue creates opportunities for nurse anaethetists and theatre nurses to care for older patients by giving them the time to talk about their lives and their concerns. The perioperative dialogue is both a means and an opportunity for nurses to care for patients.