Infographic from CDC
What if you were hospitalized, ill with a problem that could have been easily prevented? If you were able to avoid a hospitalization, would you use the prevention? Along those same lines, what if you experienced a long recovery after leaving the hospital? You had difficulty walking due to weakness from being so ill. A caregiver has to come in and prepare your meals, help you bathe and get dressed. This could go on for weeks or months. Or, it could be permanent.
This scenario happens to thousands of seniors every year. Sadly, it can be prevented. The prevention? It is easy to obtain, relatively painless, paid by insurance and reasonably effective. A flu shot.
The elderly has a weakened immune system. Because of that they are prone to developing pneumonia if they get influenza. Almost all elderly with pneumonia are hospitalized. Pneumonia accounts for 50% of all deaths that occur during the flu season. Moreover, seniors don’t bounce back from pneumonia like a younger person does. It can take months to get back to regular activities. In the meantime, they must rely on others to help with tasks that are taken for granted, like bathing, dressing, and eating. For those who already have heart or lung disease, the after effects can be permanent.
Many seniors avoid getting a flu shot for a variety of reasons. “It makes my arm sore.” This is only temporary. “It gave me the flu one year.” No, it can’t give you the flu. You picked up another virus that seemed like the flu. “I don’t get sick. I won’t press my luck.” Your luck may change in an unhappy way if you get the flu. “I’m allergic to eggs. I can’t take a flu shot.” There’s a vaccine for that. Many of the reasons for not getting the flu shot are simply minor aggravations.
Luckily, most seniors get a flu shot. It is estimated that even if the vaccine was only 10% effective in those who get the shot, it would prevent 13,000 hospitalizations from the flu and pneumonia. Since the vaccine is generally much more effective than that, even more hospitalizations are prevented.
Think about the “What Ifs” before you say no to a flu shot. Recovery from a debilitating pneumonia caused by the flu is certainly a greater price to pay than a minor inconvenience from getting a shot. A moment of bother can save you from months or even years of misery. If seniors can see the big picture and understand their risks then a flu shot becomes a simple sacrifice. Which will you choose?