Six vaccines are part of the vaccination schedules of most older adults. If you haven’t had them (or are unsure if you are up to date), speak with your healthcare provider.

Older adults are at the highest risk for developing severe illness and death from the flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 70% and 85% of flu-related deaths are in adults 65 and over. Between 50% to 70% of flu-related hospitalizations occur in this age group.

Grandparents need to get the flu shot not just to protect themselves but also the youngest members of their families. Until babies receive their first dose at 6 months, they are extremely vulnerable to flu complications.

Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent contains four times the amount of the inactivated virus used in the standard flu vaccine. Flublok Quadrivalent contains three times more flu virus antigen than standard-dose inactivated flu vaccines. Fluad Quadrivalent contains an additive (known as an “adjuvant”) that provokes a stronger immune response.

Protecting yourself against pertussis is especially important, as it can be passed to newborns in whom the infection is often serious. Between 2000 and 2017, 84% of deaths from pertussis were in infants younger than 2 months of age.

Even if you have no grandchildren, the CDC recommends that everyone get the Tdap or Td (tetanus-diphtheria) booster dose every 10 years.

Boostrix: Approved for ages 10 and over Adacel: Approved for age 10 to 64

Of the two, Boostrix is the only one approved for ages 65 and over.

In children, pneumococcus generally causes mild illnesses like ear infections. But, in older adults, pneumococcus is a leading cause of pneumonia, which is more likely to cause death the older you are.

According to the CDC, the risk of death from pneumonia in people 75 to 84 is three times that of people 65 to 74. In people 85 and over, the risk increases by over 10-fold compared to the 65-74 age group.

PCV15 (Vaxneuvance) or PCV20 (Prevnar 20), is recommended for all adults 65 years or older and those ages 19 to 64 years with certain risk factors or medical conditions. PPSV23 (Pneumovax23) is recommended for all adults 19 years and older who get the PCV15 vaccine.

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful, blistering rash. It rarely causes death, but it can lead to serious complications, including post-herpetic neuropathic pain and herpes zoster ophthalmicus. Older adults and those who are immunocompromised are more likely to be hospitalized for shingles.

You can’t give shingles to your grandchildren. However, if your grandchilden haven’t had chickenpox or been vaccinated against chickenpox, you can give them chickenpox if you have active shingles.

Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus). When you are infected with chickenpox—which almost everyone born before 1980 has been—the virus stays dormant in your body and can reactivate later in life to cause shingles.

Even if you have gotten the Zostavax vaccine in the past, you should still get the Shingrix vaccine.

Zostavax, a live vaccine previously recommended for shingles prevention, has been discontinued in the United States as of November 18, 2020.

Measles used to be common in the United States until the measles vaccine became widely available. Through mass vaccination campaigns, measles outbreaks became increasingly rare, and the disease was officially declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.

With that said, the spread of anti-vaccination (“anti-vaxxing”) messages has led to a decline in the use of the MMR (measles, mump, and rubella) vaccine. As a result, measles made a big comeback.

Older adults are more likely to experience serious complications if they do get measles. According to the CDC, one in five unvaccinated people born in 1957 or later will be hospitalized if they get measles, particularly those with weakened immune systems.

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, delivered in two doses for people 5 and over, and delivered in three doses in people ages 6 months to 4 years Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, delivered in two doses for people 6 months and over Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, delivered in one dose for people 18 and over Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, delivered in two doses for people 12 and over

Everyone ages 6 months and older should get the COVID-19 vaccine and the updated bivalent booster that provides protection against the omicron variant.

Bivalent boosters from Pfizer and Moderna have replaced all previous monovalent booster doses. Anyone who received a monovalent booster should receive one bivalent booster two months after the second dose or last booster. 

The CDC recommends that some immunocompromised people receive an extra primary dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. In addition, they should receive a bivalent booster dose.

Your provider can also let you know if there are other vaccines you should get beyond what is listed above.

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