Vaccination Rates for Older Adults Falling Short

Three out of four Americans older than 60 don’t get a shingles vaccine to protect themselves from the virus’ miseries: rashes over the face and body, stinging pain that can last for weeks or months and the threat of blindness. But the shingles vaccine is not the only shot that public health officials are struggling to persuade older Americans to get. Vaccination rates for children have steadily risen well over 90 percent the past few years, but the rates for older adults getting flu, pneumonia, tetanus, or shingles shots — the four most used vaccines among the elderly — have stayed stubbornly flat and trail national goals, according to the latest federal data. That leaves millions of older adults at risk of dying, being hospitalized, or, in the case of shingles, suffering debilitating effects that can last years. With the fall flu vaccination season starting this month, public health officials say they are disappointed by the trends.

Source/more: Kaiser Health News/USA Today

David Wingate is an elder law attorney at the Elder Law Office of David Wingate, LLC. The elder law office services clients with powers of attorneys, living wills, Wills, Trusts, Medicaid and asset protection. The Elder Law office has locations in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland.