Did you know? People 65 years and older usually suffer the greatest burden of severe flu disease. Studies show that older adults should get a higher dose or adjuvanted flu vaccine for the best protection.
Influenza Vaccination Week (ever heard of it?? No? Me neither) reminds us of that vaccination is most important for prevention of infection, especially respiratory viruses (COVID, flu, RSV) in the winter months. Below is a summary of vaccine recommendations from CDC/ACIP for this year (2023). There may be more vaccine options to discuss based on your health issues.
Vaccine Recommendations for Older Adults
Vaccine | Schedule | Covered by Medicare? |
Flu Vaccine (high dose) | Yearly by Oct 31st | Yes |
COVID vaccine | Likely to be recommended yearly in fall/winter | Yes |
RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) | One dose, over the age 60 | Sometimes |
Pneumonia | 1-2 doses, depends on health issues | Yes |
Shingles | Twice, over the age of 55 | Sometimes |
Schedule a visit with your primary care provider to talk about these importatant preventative health tasks. If you dont have a primary care provider or are looking for primary care (including vaccines) delivered directly to your home - consider reaching out to Aging Grace House Calls. Visits occur in your home and are led by an expeprienced primary care/geriatric nurse practitioner - Katie Mordino ANP-BC. The practice is small and personal - care is targeted to patient preference/goals and effective. All insurances, including Medicare/MaineCare are accepted.
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