However, when there id kidney failure in elderly, many of them do not want to have dialysis. So, how long can an elderly live without dialysis? Well it all depends on how severe the kidney damage is. If the elderly person is passing fair amount of urine, he can live without dialysis for 2 to 6 weeks. However, if the person is passing little or no urine, then the survival rate decreases dramatically to 10 to 14 days.