Discussing Vaccines with Health Care Providers Should Be A Priority

The following article is of interest to all of us, It is  from Zoomer Promotions, written by Pfizer Canada who want seniors to get vaccinated. So there is an agenda behind what they write, but the advice is sound.

Pneumonia is a leading cause of emergency department visits in Canada with an increase of 13 percent in 2017-18 from the year before. And older adults made up approximately 65 percent of pneumonia-related hospital admissions.

Older adults are especially susceptible to pneumonia, says Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health System and the University Health Network, who was appointed by the Government of Ontario to serve as the expert lead of Ontario's Seniors Strategy.

“Some people may experience complications and will be hospitalized. If they have difficulty breathing, they may even require the use of a breathing tube in the most severe cases.”

He explains, “As we get older, two things can happen. The immune system weakens with time — we call it ‘immune senescence’ — and as you get more mileage, you can encounter heart disease and diabetes that increase the risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. And a hospitalization could impact your mobility after recovery.

“Right now, a lot of people underestimate how dangerous pneumococcal pneumonia can be,” warns Dr. Sinha. “If people understood the disease better, they’d understand how important it is to help protect themselves against it.”

Dr. Sinha recommends that every adult over 65 should be vaccinated.

Discussing with your health provider which vaccines are suitable or recommended to help protect against flu, shingles, tetanus and pneumococcal pneumonia, is what every older Canadian should consider, advises Dr. Sinha.

Vaccination does not protect 100% of those who are vaccinated and does not treat the infection or reduce the risk of complications such as hospitalization.