While the flu vaccination is commonly known to be essential for seniors, there’s another crucial vaccine you may not be as familiar with: the shingles vaccine, Zostavax. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging those age 60 and over to get this one-time vaccination, since this age group is at highest risk of the one in three Americans who develop shingles.
Symptoms of shingles include developing a rash of liquid filled blisters on the skin. Additional symptoms may include fever, headache, nausea and chills. Although the blisters almost always occur on just one side of the body, they can be scattered in patches or form a continuous band on your skin. The rash ranges from irritating or itchy to extremely painful and typically lasts up to 30 days. For most people, the pain associated with the rash lessens as it heals.
Having shingles cannot cause another person to contract shingles; however, a person with active shingles can transmit the virus to someone who has never had chickenpox—causing that person to come down with the chickenpox. The virus is spread through direct contact with fluid from the rash blisters, not through sneezing or coughing, and a person is not contagious before the blisters appear or after the blisters have developed crusts.
Helping seniors remain healthy and independent at home is our number one priority at Independence-4-Seniors. Contact us at 630-323-4665 to schedule a free in-home assessment to determine your elderly loved one’s specific needs, perform a safety evaluation of the home, learn personal preferences and personality to carefully match an appropriate caregiver, and more.