Flu season is particularly dangerous for the elderly. People aged 65 and over are vulnerable to severe complications from the flu, especially in comparison to young, healthy individuals. Receiving the high-dose flu shot can protect seniors from potentially fatal outcomes.

Each flu season, older adults experience severe flu disease. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that between 70 and 85 percent of flu-related fatalities occur in people aged 65 and over. About 50 percent of flu-related hospitalizations occur in this age group.

Why are seniors most vulnerable to the flu?

Seniors are more likely to suffer severe complications from the flu virus because of their naturally diminishing immune function. The immune system in older people weakens with age; so, while their aging body fights off a flu infection, they may pick up a secondary infection, like pneumonia.

Older people also are burdened with a number of health conditions. Complications are more likely when seniors suffer from diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or congestive heart failure. Having multiple diseases puts aging adults at a higher risk for complications from the flu.

The flu also spreads rapidly in places where several people live or gather, such as nursing homes, independent living environments, and assisted living facilities. Living in an older adult community raises the risk of seniors catching highly contagious ailments, such as the flu.

Does the high-dose flu shot offer seniors protection?

The best protection against the flu is the annual flu shot. Getting the flu shot each year is vital to preserving health, considering the flu virus changes constantly. Every year, the flu vaccine is updated, thereby providing the best possible protection against the flu.

For example, for the 2022-2023 flu season, the flu vaccine has been updated from the prior year to better match the flu virus currently circulating. The immunity from the most up-to-date flu vaccine reaches its maximum efficacy within two weeks of obtaining the shot.

However, for adults aged 65 and over, the high-dose flu shot (also known as adjuvanted flu vaccine) is strongly recommended. The high-dose flu shot has been shown to be more effective for this age group than the standard unadjuvanted flu vaccine.

Three specific high-dose, or adjuvanted, flu vaccines are offered to seniors. The Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent is approved for people aged 65 and over. It is an inactivated vaccine, meaning it utilizes the killed version of the virus that causes disease.

The Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent contains four times the amount of antigen than the standard dose inactivated flu vaccine. Antigens are critical, as they are the component of the vaccine that helps the aging body build up protections against the flu virus.

The second flu vaccine approved for seniors is the Fluad Quardrivalent. Also an inactivated vaccine, it contains the same amount of antigens as the standard flu shot; however, an adjuvant is included. The adjuvant in the vaccine enhances the senior’s immune response to vaccination.

The third flu vaccine for older adults, as well as anyone 18 and over, is the Flublok Quadrivalent. This vaccine is also available for the 2022-2023 flu season. It is a recombinant influenza vaccine that is also one of only two egg-free vaccines licensed for use in the U.S.

When should seniors get vaccinated?

Since flu season rolls around every winter, seniors are advised to get their flu vaccine prior to the start of the cold weather. September and October are ideal months to get vaccinated. However, getting vaccinated too early is unhelpful, because vaccine protection wanes as time goes on.

Seniors who get the high-dose flu vaccine can expect to experience mild symptoms immediately afterward. These temporary side effects include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site. Headaches, muscle aches, and feelings of malaise resolve on their own within 1 to 3 days.

What additional ways can seniors stay protected from the flu?

Being a highly contagious virus, the flu spreads rapidly from person to person through infectious droplets in the air. When people cough, talk, sneeze, or laugh, the infectious droplets can spread, even as far as six feet away. The flu virus also contaminates surfaces and can spread that way.

Due to the contagious nature of the disease, seniors are urged to not only get the high-dose flu shot but practice good personal hygiene. Seniors can stop the spread of the flu by washing hands frequently, covering the mouth when sneezing, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose, and mouth.

In addition, older people should avoid close contact with people who are sick with the flu. Disinfect frequently touched objects at home, such as doorknobs and countertops. Seniors who do get sick should stay at home and utilize the services of a home care agency.

Stay Protected with Senior Home Care

When your elderly loved one comes down with the flu, extra care should be provided until he recovers. Assisting Hands Home Care will provide that additional in-home support to return the senior to health. Our caregivers are trained to provide help with all the activities of daily living.

Seniors under our care receive assistance with personal hygiene tasks, such as toileting and dressing. We make sure our care recipients stay warm and appropriately dressed in cold weather. Our home care services include transportation to doctors’ offices when flu symptoms appear.

A senior under the weather will be too physically weak to cook. Assisting Hands Home Care providers prepare nutritious meals to ensure elderly individuals eat healthy and stay hydrated. We also perform light housekeeping, disinfecting household surfaces to keep viruses and germs away.

Whether your aging loved one requires short-term respite care, overnight care, non-medical hospice home care, dementia care or post-hospitalization care, Assisting Hands Home Care will provide all the in-home support he needs. Care services are flexible and tailored to each individual’s unique care requirements.

Families trust Assisting Hands Home Care to provide the most compassionate senior care in BallenIsles,  Boynton Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Singer Island, Wellington, and the surrounding areas. Our caregivers are licensed and bonded to ensure peace of mind. Call us at (561) 566-5989 today to schedule and in-home consultation and start quality home care.