AIM: The Japan Diabetes Society and The Japan Geriatric Society made a joint committee and published a new glycemic target in May 2016. Because reports on the state of glycemic control in elderly diabetic patients are insufficient, we investigated the state of glycemic control in this population before the new glycemic target was established. METHODS: We enrolled patients older than 65 years of age who had been prescribed antidiabetic drugs and hospitalized in the geriatric department of Nagoya University Hospital from April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016. We investigated the participants' HbA1c, prescription of antidiabetic drugs carrying risks of severe hypoglycemia (risk drugs) at hospitalization, cognitive function, basic activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living. RESULTS: A total of 63 patients were enrolled. Thirty-five patients were male, the mean age was 83.1±5.9 years old, and the average HbA1c was 7.6%±1.5%. The numbers of patients assigned to categories I, II, and III were 10, 12, and 41, respectively. For prescription of risk drugs, 6 participants were assigned to category I, 8 to category II, and 22 to category III. Prescription of risk drugs was associated with the HbA1c. Approximately one third of the patients using risk drugs had a lower HbA1c than the target value. CONCLUSIONS: Risk drugs was not significantly associated with the established categories or age. Many of the patients who were prescribed risk drugs had a lower HbA1c than the target values.