Keeping older people healthy
New research on ways to keep older people healthy for longer will be discussed this Thursday in Melbourne. The ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, which aims to determine whether a daily dose of aspirin can delay the onset of illness, will be evaluated.
New research on ways to keep older people healthy for longer will be discussed this Thursday in Melbourne.
The ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, which aims to determine whether a daily dose of aspirin can delay the onset of illness, will be evaluated.
ASPREE principal investigator, Professor John McNeil, from the Monash Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, will discuss what the largest primary prevention study in healthy older people in the world will mean for Victoria and Australia.
“Australians are living longer. If present trends continue, up to 50% of babies born today will live to be more than 100 years old, so the ability to remain healthy is a priority,” Professor McNeil explained.
ASPREE will determine aspirin’s potential for reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia and certain cancers in people aged 70 years and over. It will also determine if potential health benefits outweigh the risks of regular aspirin in this age group.
Executive officer of the ASPREE clinical trial and director of the ancillary study ASPREE Healthy Ageing Biobank, Associate Professor Robyn Woods, will speak about the study’s progress and achievements.
“ASPREE has become a platform for many sub-studies to provide the first comprehensive picture of ageing in Australia,” Associate Professor Woods said.
“GPs will know whether aspirin promotes good health in later years. We will be able to identify medical and social issues affecting our ageing population and future researchers will be able to access a world-first ‘biobank’ to identify predictors of disease.
“What sets ASPREE apart is the study engages local GPs and community health networks and with this study we are taking medical research to the people rather than the other way around.”
The Monash Business Breakfast ‘ASPREE – a window on ageing’ will be held this Thursday from 7.15am at the Trilogy Room, Park Hyatt in east Melbourne. The event is free of charge and includes a full breakfast.
