Stay healthy and protect your strength as you age.
Aging can come with many new demands. Life can bring the unforeseen and require a new perspective when you least expect it. Growing older doesn’t have to limit your life, however. Staying on top of your vaccines is one way you can help protect your health and limit your challenges while staying ahead of the game. Reduce your risk of developing an infection that could take a turn for the worse.
Childhood is a time when most of us receive routine vaccines against diseases such as measles, mumps, chicken pox, and rubella. Many of these shots provide you with immunity to last a lifetime. As you grow older, however, certain vaccines need to be updated.
Are you up-to-date? Here are five vaccines experts recommend you get if you’re over 65.
Shingles
Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a viral infection that people who have had chickenpox earlier in life can develop as they age. The virus hides in your system and can resurface decades later. This infection causes a painful rash as well as a fever, headache, chills, stomach trouble, and eye trouble. Shingles can surface many times and the shingles vaccine is recommended for everyone over the age of 50
Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap)
It’s recommended that you get your tetanus shot every ten years. Tetanus is a debilitating infection that impairs your nervous system and is caused by bacteria found in soil and dirt. Diphtheria is also caused by bacteria that enters your and attaches to your respiratory system, making it difficult to breathe.
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For its part, pertussis, or whooping cough, is a respiratory infection that causes severe coughing fits and can lead to a serious infection. Keeping your Tdap vaccine up-to-date is important. This is particularly true if you work in the garden where bacteria is present in the soil.
Influenza (flu)
Your seasonal flu shot works like a COVID-19 vaccine by helping to prevent you from developing a serious case of the flu and complications from it, such as sepsis or heart inflammation. People in older populations are encouraged to receive a high-dose flu vaccine as well as an adjuvanted flu vaccine every flu season.
Pneumonia
People over the age of 65 can receive a one-time pneumonia vaccine to help prevent the development of this infection in your lungs. There is a high rate of mortality when it comes to pneumonia in seniors. This vaccine is said to be about 60 to 70 percent effective.
COVID-19
Yes, everyone is encouraged to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, especially heading into the colder, winter months. Older populations have been proven to be more susceptible to developing a severe case of COVID and dying from the infection and so being protected over the age of 65 is important.
Talk to your doctor or local healthcare provider about getting your vaccines and keeping them up-to-date. Preventive medicine in the form of vaccines can go a long way towards helping to keep you healthy and strong as you age.
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