We are approaching the end of 2016 and what a year it has been! The STAREE team has been fortunate to meet some inspiring and enthusiastic people, both study participants and co-investigator GPs. One of the Melbourne based participants involved in the study feels that research into healthy ageing is paramount; “if you have your health, you have your wealth. Unless you have good health, old age is debilitating”. Equally the GPs participating in the trial are overwhelmingly supportive of this community based research, with one GP in Hobart reporting “As GPs we welcome anything that will give us a more educated decision on who is likely to benefit from statin therapy and conversely who would not benefit from statin therapy. Hopefully STAREE will help us achieve this”

We have received some positive feedback from participants about the involvement in STAREE with an overwhelming number reporting that the annual health checks encourage them to be more proactive with their health. Annual health checks are conducted by the STAREE team in collaboration with GPs and involve routine care, such as blood pressure monitoring and blood tests that examine markers such as kidney and liver health. The team also guide participants through a range of thinking and memory tasks, measures of physical function, quality of life, and lifestyle.

STAREE would not be able to independently answer one of the key questions confronting GPs on a daily basis without medical research volunteers. The question “should statins be prescribed to older people without a history of cardiovascular disease to prevent future disease and disability?” is a critical one and would not be able to be answered without the generous and valued support of our current and future participants! From all of us, a big thank you!

_{Pictured: A STAREE participant from Hobart. With boating as a keen interest, he looks forward to maintaining his healthy and active lifestyle.}