Background It is unclear whether repaired rotator cuffs heal in older patients and whether the function in those shoulders compares with those of similarly aged patients with untreated tears. Questions/Purpose We questioned whether, in patients 65 years of age and older, shoulders with rotator cuff repairs that remained intact would have Simple Shoulder Test (SST) scores and Constant scores similar to those of untreated individuals with intact rotator cuffs. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 39 patients (42 shoulders) 65 years of age and older in whom 42 fullthickness rotator cuff tears were repaired with a mini open technique. All patients completed SST and Constant scores 12 to 60 months postoperatively; all patients also had ultrasound at those times to assess the status of the repair.These findings were compared with 200 untreated similarly aged shoulders assessed in the same fashion.