Recommended Vaccines for Seniors

Decreasing an aging loved one’s risk of contracting a deadly disease like Covid-19, influenza, or pneumonia can be as simple as getting a quick shot.

Older adults, and adults with chronic illnesses and medical problems, two things that go hand in hand, are most susceptible to contracting and developing complications from preventable diseases, which can have serious, even deadly, results. According to the Centers for Disease Control, as many as 85 percent of the deaths from seasonal influenza occur yearly in people age 65 or older, as well as 50 to 70 percent of the flu-related hospitalizations. Similarly, 80 percent, or 4 out of 5, of the deaths caused by the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, occurred in this same demographic.

Fortunately, there are several vaccines available for older adults that can significantly reduce the possibility of serious complications from diseases like Covid-19, seasonal flu, pneumonia, or other potentially deadly diseases.

• Shingles: Shingles is most prevalent in adults over the age of 50, or those with compromised immune systems. Anyone over the age of 49 should get the vaccine, to prevent this painful, debilitating nerve condition. Seniors can, and should, get vaccinated against shingles, even if they’ve overcome a case of it before in the past.
• Flu: Can be deadly among seniors age 65 and up, so schedule it as early as you can, each year.
• Pneumonia: Seniors are more likely to contract a pneumococcal disease, made even worse by the likelihood going up the more time on spends in a hospital or other healthcare setting.