Flu and the older generation make a very bad mix. That is to say, flu and the elderly are not a good combination. We might say combining the flu with old age is not for sissies. This witty little sentence is a twist on the old saying, “Old age is not for sissies!”
This flu Season, Don’t Let Influenza Stop You From Doing What You Love. With Your Flu Shot, Stay “Over 65 and Alive.”
However, we use this comment to open a profoundly serious topic. In this article, FLASS brings you the facts behind flu and the older generation.
First, let us make an unequivocal statement about getting your flu shot at any age. The National Health Institute states, “Getting a flu vaccine every year can help prevent the flu. The vaccine is safe, effective, and available for little to no cost to you.”
Plus, we invite you to check out our previous blog concerning the importance of doing yourself this valuable health favor, whatever your age.
FLASS Special Alert for The Older Generation: Beware of the Flu
Flu and the Older Generation: Beware! It is a Deadly Foe
FLASS wants you to know how to treat the flu if you or someone you love is a member of the older generation.
You see, the flu might be just a little inconvenient for some groups.
However, for the older generation and those with chronic health conditions, the flu can be serious and sometimes life-threatening. Healthy young people might see the flu as a simple inconvenience.
Once you achieve the age of 65, then you are in an exclusive club. You are in the high-risk group for flu.
Statistics and Proof of Flu Danger to Older Adults
The CDC has researched insidious facts about flu and senior citizens. This year the flu will strike patients in every age group. However, 70 to 85 percent of flu-related deaths are members of this older adult risk group.
At FLASS, we take this statistic seriously. We wish everyone would understand how many grandparents, beloved aunts, and special elders could be saved from death each year with a simple flu shot.
Flu-Related Hospitalization is No Fun
Your Best Weapon Against the Flu, at any age: Vaccination!
Likewise, we see more patients of the older generation suffer serious cases of flu resulting in hospitalizations. The CDC states that “Between 50 percent and 70 percent of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations have occurred among people in this age group.”
Fast Facts On Flu and the Older Generation
Let’s look at the top reasons the flu is more serious and frankly, dangerous to senior citizens.
Danger Number One for Flu and the Older Generation: Less Immunity
The number one reason flu endangers older patients is that the immune system weakens with age. It does not matter how healthy you are, less immunity is a natural side effect of getting older.
The National Institute on Aging, an excellent research source, explains this by an example. They stated, “Because your body is busy fighting off the flu, you might pick up a secondary infection such as pneumonia.” And, pneumonia is a powerful enemy of health, even in today’s era of antibiotics.
A Second Danger of Flu and the Older Generation: Health Conditions Common to Older Adults
The number two reason that the flu puts the older generation in jeopardy is that “Older adults are also more likely to have other health conditions, like diabetes, “high blood pressure, and chronic heart disease. These chronic conditions “increase their risk for complications from the flu.”
The Secret Power of the Flu Vaccine, Especially for the Older Generation
We would be remiss if we did not mention that taking the flu vaccine reduces the risk of getting critically ill if the flu strikes you. But did you realize the flu vaccine generates special protection if you have chronic health conditions?
- Older people with chronic health conditions benefit in many unique ways from the flu shots.
- Experts state, “For example, it has been linked to lower rates of heart problems (cardiac events) among people with heart disease.”
- Likewise, in cases of flu, we see fewer trips to the ER among patients with chronic conditions if they have taken the flu vaccine.
- Additionally, when a patient takes the flu vaccine, we find “fewer hospitalizations among people who have chronic lung disease.
Fever: Fast Facts for the Older Generation
Keep the Older Generation in the Picture for the Holidays and Beyond. Make Sure They Get Their Flu Shots!
Did you know that the average normal body temperature is different for older adults than younger people? Older adults run lower temperatures.
What does this mean for your beloved great-grandmother? It means that she can be quite ill with the flu, and yet register a lower fever than you.
According to the CDC, the following temperatures in older adults may be signs of an infection, such as COVID-19 or the flu:
- Take notice of a “single temperature reading higher than 100°F (37.8°C)”
- Become concerned when you see “Multiple temperature readings above 99°F (37.2°C) in you or your older family member.
- A rise in temperature greater than 2°F (1.1°C) above the person’s normal body temperature.
“If you are concerned that you may have a fever, talk with a health care provider to find out what steps you can take to feel better.”
2023 Essential Flu Vaccine Information for the Older Generation
Instead of taking a standard dose of flu vaccine, both the CDC and ACIP recommend higher-dose flu vaccines if you are 65 or older. So, below you will find a CDC menu of great vaccine choices for grandparents and beloved older folks in your family:
(Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine and Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant influenza vaccine) or adjuvanted flu vaccine (Fluad Quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine vaccine)
If this seems a little confusing, fear not. Your pharmacist or healthcare provider will know this information, and select the best high-dose vaccine or adjuvanted flu vaccine for you or your loved one.
All About Adjuvant and the Older Generation
Some members of the Highest Risk Category blow away the flu with the help of the flu vaccine! Flu and the Older? Generation Need Not Be a Sad Song!
By the way, do not let the word “adjuvanted” alarm you. It simply means there is a special ingredient named an adjuvant in a vaccine. This ingredient helps create a stronger immune response.
Right at this moment, the incidences of flu are low. It is the best time to take your flu shot. And take your older friend or relative to get theirs.
You see, it is an especially good time for the older generation to get the full benefits of the vaccine. We are shortly going into the peak of flu season, from December through February.
Once again, FLASS urges you to make Florida flu-free in 2023! Only strongly vaccinated communities can help us do that, one flu shot at a time!
We are sending you this blog because this goal begins with the highest-risk age group: the flu and the older generation.