What Seniors Need To Know About Vaccines

Our immune system is our body’s main line of defense against biological invaders such as viruses, bacteria and other things that can make us ill. It is an amazing, complex network of organs, cells, and proteins that protect us from getting sick and promotes healing when we are ill or injured. Having a healthy immune system is essential for good health at any age.
When people reach their senior years, their immune system naturally weakens and makes them more susceptible to infections and diseases. Fortunately, many of the health risks that plague older adults with weakened immune systems can be effectively mitigated if they stay current on their vaccination schedules.
Many seniors today fail to keep their immunizations current or avoid them entirely because of unfounded fears about vaccines. During the Covid-19 pandemic, misinformation about vaccines and their potential side effects ran rampant in the media, resulting in vaccine resistance and hesitancy among vulnerable populations including older adults. This pervasive perception of fear, mistrust and skepticism continues today and puts the health and wellness of seniors at unnecessary risk.
If there was a bright spot in the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the fact that about 90% of adults 65 and older were at least partially immunized against the disease. The reason why so many older adults were vaccinated is because the threat of Covid was especially real for seniors and others with weakened immune systems because contracting it could have serious and even lethal consequences. The consensus in the medical community is that fear, rather than reason, was the primary driving force behind the high percentage of seniors receiving Covid vaccinations and boosters.
Unfortunately, the high acceptance of the Covid vaccine in the senior population did not transfer to them being similarly immunized against other diseases that affect their age group. Vaccine resistance and hesitancy is estimated to cause about 45,000 deaths annually, many of which could have been prevented if they were properly immunized.
The Center of Disease Control recommends that seniors have frank conversations with their physicians about what vaccines they need and how often they will need immunized. Currently, these are the top five recommendations:
1. Covid.
While the pandemic is over, Covid is still present in the general population, so it is important for seniors to receive the vaccine and boosters in accordance with their health practitioners’ recommendations.

2. Influenza (flu).
Influenza strains can vary from season to season, so it is important to stay current each year on the strains that have been identified. Flu vaccines are not 100 percent effective all the time, but getting the flu vaccine can minimized the risk of contracting it as well as the symptoms.

3. Pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a very serious health risk to seniors. There are currently two approved vaccines for pneumonia, and it is recommended that seniors receive both one year apart to guard against the disease.

4. Shingles.
Shingles and chicken pox are caused by the same virus. If you had chicken pox, the virus lies dormant in your nerve tissues with the possibility of being reactivated as shingles. The shingles vaccine won’t eradicate the virus from your body, but it can reduce the likelihood of it reemerging.

5. Tetanus and Pertussis.
Most people receive tetanus shots as children, but like the immune system, it weakens over time. A simple cut or break of the skin can invite bacteria in that becomes a more serious health issue and the tetanus vaccine can minimize this risk. Tetanus vaccines are typically administered with a pertussis (whooping cough) booster. This is especially recommended for adults who are around babies who can get the disease because it is extremely infectious, causing a cough that can last for months.
Staying current with your recommended vaccinations is a great way to maintain your health. Talk to your health care practitioners about what vaccines are best for you and let reason, not fear, drive your decisions about being immunized against preventable diseases.