Vaccinations can benefit people of all ages, not just children. As we grow older, some of the protection we got from our inoculations will fade and we will need what a primary care provider in Maryland would call “booster shots.”
Even though their medical conditions are more fragile than ours, elderly people also need their vaccines. It might have been so many years since their first immunizations that they already have little to no protection against certain disease.
It’s better to be immunized against a disease even if we don’t expect to be exposed to it. It’s like learning CPR – you’d better have the skill and not need it, than need it and not know how to do it.
One of the vaccinations that your family clinic in Lanham, Maryland, will recommend is the flu vaccine. In fact, the influenza vaccine must be taken every year by people of all ages. Another one is the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine if they have not yet been inoculated against these three diseases as adolescents. If they have received the vaccine, they need to take a booster shot every 10 years.
For people over 50 years of age or older, the following vaccinations are recommended:
- Shingles
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
If you’re over 60 years of age, you must take care when choosing to be vaccinated. If you have any questions, visit us at Patient Centered Health Care. We have medication training that qualifies us to provide immunizations to our patients who would like to receive their initial or booster shots.
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