In your role as a family caregiver, one of your most important priorities is making sure that your aging parent stays as healthy as possible throughout their later years. Elderly adults tend to have immune systems that are lower and less effective than younger people. This means that they are not only more vulnerable to contracting illnesses and infections, and more prone to having these become serious and potentially devastating, but they also have a more difficult time fighting them off when they do occur. It is important that you do everything that you can to protect your senior and to give them the greatest chances of staying healthy, particularly during times of year when they are at the most risk, such as cold and flu season.
Elder Care in Boca Raton FL: Senior Influenza Vaccination
Now is the ideal time for you to learn more about the flu shot and the potential benefits that it can offer your parent so that together with their doctor you can make the decision about their health that is right for them.
It is an unfortunate and frightening statistic that between 54 and 70 percent of hospitalizations that are related to the seasonal flu each year occur among those who are over the age of 64, and that up to 85 percent of the seasonal flu-related deaths that occur each year are among this same age group. Complications of the flu can be extensive and long-lasting, and the most powerful thing that you can do for your senior is to take steps to help them to avoid the flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that an influenza vaccine is a powerful tool in the fight against contracting and spreading the flu, particularly among the elderly and those who care for them. In fact, there is a special higher-dose version of the vaccine that was designed specifically for the use of older adults to provide additional protection. This particular vaccine has been shown to further reduce the instance of flu infections among older adults by 24 percent when compared to the standard vaccine.
Is the flu shot right for everyone?
As with anything else pertaining to your parent’s health and well-being, it is important to note that the flu vaccine might not be right for all people or all situations. That’s why it’s imperative that you work with your parent’s doctor, discuss the potential benefits and risks, and come to the decision that is truly right for your loved one. Remember that the flu vaccine is only a part of a total germ control and flu avoidance approach that should also include regular handwashing, avoiding those who have been or might be ill, and utilizing home care when you are ill or are caring for an ill child so that you reduce the chances of spreading the illness to your parent.
How can elder care help?
Starting home elder care services for your aging parent can be one of the best decisions that you can make for them during the course of your caregiver journey with them. An in-home senior care services provider can be there with your elderly parent on a customized schedule to ensure that they have continued, consistent access to the care, assistance, and support that they need to manage their individual challenges and limitations, and to pursue a lifestyle that is as active, engaged, and fulfilling as possible as they age in place.
These highly personalized services can include safe and reliable transportation to where they need and want to go, assistance with personal care needs, physical support and assistance with mobility issues, help with fulfillment of activities of daily living, companionship, and more. As a family caregiver, it can give you tremendous peace of mind knowing that your senior is in good hands both when you are able to be with them and when you are not.
If you or a family member are in need of hiring elder care in Boca Raton, FL call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today at (954) 870-4770.
Providing service in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Weston, Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, Lighthouse Point, and Wilton Manors.
Source:
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/65over.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/general.htm
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