Our focus is on achieving optimal ageing: minimising the impact of disease, while maximising physical and cognitive function and social engagment.
Research Council (NHMRC) funded PhD student and later as a post-doctoral researcher supported by philanthropy, Hilmer’s team in the Kolling developed software to calculate and report on the DBI to clinicians. This software took over five years to develop into a user- friendly and comprehensive system. “The hard work has been worth it. To now see the program in use in the community and in nursing homes around Australia and to know that it is helping hundreds of older Australians ever year is why we do this.” After the DBI software’s success in primary care, they worked on integrating the index into hospital care. The local hospitals now use an electronic prescribing system that integrates the DBI as clinical decision support. The software now calculates DBI for every older patient when a change is made to their medication list, and instantly reports back to the clinicians. The DBI report helps clinicians recognise medications that impair function in older patients, so they can weigh this risk of harm against the current benefits for the individual. It is now being rolled out in usual care across other health districts. This research was funded by NSW Health, the NHMRC and philanthropy from the Rothwell Fellowship. “It is often said that once you are on five or more drugs, you are in trouble” says Professor Hilmer. Clinicians have been deprescribing for a long time, often with a “let’s just see if you feel better” mentality, as they do what they can to help their patients. Professor Hilmer’s research has now backed this practice with science - providing evidence and reassurance when prescribing for older patients, to ensure that the patient gets net benefit from their medications. This software will help doctors, pharmacists, and nurses by recognising the effects of drugs on an individual’s cognitive and physical function, allowing a clearer assessment of how to proceed. Professor Hilmer’s research is ongoing, and whilst the outcomes to date
have been positive, it must continue to reach the people who need it most. Whilst grants have been able to make an impact, they are usually not enough to fully fund the research, and have significant exclusions, which means they need additional funding. Professor Hilmer is grateful for the funding she has received through philanthropy and says that without this support, her team wouldn’t have seen the positive impacts they have seen so far.
Healthy ageing is a bit of a dream - people do get sick. It’s how we help people live as well as they can that is important. Professor Sarah Hilmer, Kolling Institute
Supporting multidisciplinary early career researchers with post-doctoral fellowships in the stimulating environment of the translational, collaborative Kolling Ageing and Pharmacology Laboratory, builds capacity in the next generation of researchers in this new field. Facilitating her staff to travel to other labs and learn new techniques, attend conferences, and present around the world to develop their knowledge and networks, allows for increased funding capabilities for Professor Hilmer’s team. The funding for these positions and activities is very limited especially for early researchers. This is where Professor Hilmer needs the continued support of the philanthropic community, to ensure that geriatric research continues so that her team can continue to have a positive impact on the ageing population in Northern Sydney and beyond.
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