Health care for the elderly in western society has emerged as an increasingly important economic and political issue in recent years. As the elderly proportion of western populations continues to expand, maintaining health and wellness of the aged will continue to be an important research priority in the near future. This review will attempt to briefly highlight what is known about age-related changes in cardiac performance in humans, then focus on recent work on cellular mechanisms of cardiac deterioration in vertebrate models. The final section will discuss the implications of work done in the nascent fruit fly model system for aging cardiac function and conclude by outlining potential future uses for invertebrate cardiac model systems.