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When you make a list of things that are important for your health, what does it look like?
Hopefully you have regular doctor’s visits at the top of the list. Taking medications on time, every time is another good way to better health. How about exercise and eating well? Maybe you want to drop certain vices, like smoking. Keeping chronic conditions under control, such as making sure your blood sugar levels are where they should be, can take another spot on the list. Perhaps medical alert systems for seniors are on your list. That’s a very important one to help ensure your independence, good health, safety, and security in your own home or while on the go.
One of the most important things you can put on that list is getting your vaccines.
The Importance of Vaccines
There is a short list of vaccines seniors need, and among the most important of those are the COVID and flu vaccines. These vaccines are recommended every year. And every year, they are tweaked to protect people against the most prevalent strains of the flu or COVID that are floating around during the season.
Those over the age of 65 account for 16% of the US population yet account for 75% of COVID deaths, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.1 Additionally, most deaths from the flu occur among seniors over the age of 65. Those facts alone will motivate many elderly adults to get their seasonal vaccines.
But why are elderly adults more susceptible to these viruses?
As we get older, the immune system begins to weaken, and that opens up the possibility that an illness can become more serious. Chronic health conditions can also make it more difficult for older adults to fight off viruses, and most elderly Americans have at least one of them.
That’s why it’s so important for many seniors to get the COVID and flu vaccines. For many, the potentially dire consequences of getting COVID or the flu greatly outweigh the worries that might come along with some vaccines. Among those who are vaccinated, the rates of death and hospitalization drop dramatically for both COVID and influenza, since those who are vaccinated but do wind up getting either COVID or the flu can count on milder symptoms and a shorter duration of illness.
But there are some fears concerning the vaccines, including reports of a higher risk of stroke among those aged 65 and older. While serious problems have been reported with all vaccines available today, it’s important to look closely at the risks and weigh those against the benefits. For many elderly adults, the benefits of getting the vaccines can’t be understated.
That being said, we’ll look at the latest studies that connect the vaccines with slightly increased risk of stroke.
The Risk
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has alerted consumers to a slightly increased stroke risk among those who got the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines at the same time. Seniors who choose to get the COVID and flu vaccines at the same time run a slightly increased risk of blood clots in the head, especially if they are over the age of 85.
The study looked at the medical claims of more than 5.3 million seniors and elderly adults over the age of 65. These individuals were Medicare beneficiaries and got both the flu and COVID vaccines. The study was observational only and couldn’t prove cause and effect.
The FDA looked into the data after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released information on stroke risk. The CDC noted that their vaccine monitoring system, known as Vaccine Safety Datalink, triggered a warning of a slightly increased risk of stroke among those who got the new Pfizer bivalent vaccine and the high-dose or adjuvanted flu shot on the same day.2
However, in both studies, the risk of stroke was very small. The results found roughly three strokes or transient ischemic attacks for every 100,000 doses of vaccines.
And those results were clear that it was the high-dose flu vaccine that was the culprit when given on the same day as the COVID vaccine; those who got the regular flu shot weren’t at greater risk. In fact, the same study found that the risk of stroke was greater among those aged 65 and older who got just the high-dose flu vaccine with no COVID vaccine alongside it.
That being said, many believe it is still best to get the vaccines. The risk of stroke is very slightly elevated, but the risk of dying from COVID or a serious influenza infection is much higher than that.
Though the vaccines might not prevent you from getting COVID or the flu, they will greatly increase the likelihood that if you do get sick, you will experience fewer and milder symptoms. That can make the difference between being able to recover at home versus having to go into the hospital with serious illness.
Separating the Vaccines
Keep in mind that this study looked at 2 vaccines taken on the same day; therein lies the key for protecting yourself from the possibility of stroke.
While most people do get them on the same day for the sake of convenience, those who might be at higher risk of stroke should to get their vaccines a few days or even weeks apart.
That’s because the vaccine will “supercharge” your immune system to prepare it for the threats it will face from the virus. That revving of your immune system might be overwhelming for some who get two shots (or more) at the same time. Spreading the shots out over a period of days or weeks can help ensure that your immune system doesn’t go into overdrive.
It might also be a good idea to speak to your doctor about other vaccines you want to get this season and whether those should be spaced apart as well.
Any medication or vaccine can have side effects that are unpleasant or even make life difficult for a few days. Common side effects from vaccines include a mild fever, chills, joint or muscle aches, headache, fatigue, and pain or redness where the injection was given. Those aches, pains, and feeling so tired can lead to a greater fall risk, which is why it’s important to wear a fall alert for seniors at all times.
A medical alert device ensures that if you do fall down or experience any type of emergency, you can get the help you need, whenever you need it.
When you get a vaccination, you’ll probably expect to feel at least some side effects. Those side effects are usually mild. Fortunately, severe vaccine reactions are very rare for seniors. But if you are worried about this, here are the symptoms to watch for:
· A rapid heartbeat that has nothing to do with anxiety about the shot. This can occur within the days following the vaccine.
· Difficulty breathing or swelling of your throat. These problems are often the result of anaphylactic shock and become apparent within minutes after getting the vaccine. This is a true medical emergency, but the good news is that you will probably still be sitting in the chair after getting the shot and surrounded by medical professionals.
· A rash all over your body. This can occur within hours or can take several days to show up. Sometimes the rash is itchy.
· Though dizziness and weakness are common side effects of vaccines and medications, an extreme version of dizziness or weakness that makes it impossible to walk is not a normal vaccine reaction.
Having an emergency alert system with you at all times can help you avoid the consequences of weakness, dizziness, or other symptoms that can lead to a higher fall risk. You can always get help fast by pressing the button alert device. A trained professional from a monitoring center will come on the line, assess the situation, and summon the proper assistance for you – and then stay on the line with you until that help arrives, providing protection through every health concern.
