Throughout the year, many people deal with sicknesses. While many of these illnesses are minor, certain others can become quite severe. One of the illnesses that no one wants to deal with is the flu. This condition usually takes one to two weeks to fully recover from. However, this condition is far more serious for those who are 65 years and older. In this post, you’ll learn how the flu affects senior citizens.

The Dangers of the Flu for Seniors

For most people, being sick with the flu is a major inconvenience. If you haven’t had a flu vaccine, you’re going to be dealing with one to weeks of feeling extremely sick. In order to deal with this problem, it’s wise to consider visiting your primary physician or an urgent care center. This allows you to receive antiviral medication to relieve flu symptoms.

Things change when someone at or above the age of 65 has the flu. One study found that 70-85% of deaths occurring from flu related symptoms happen to those who are 65 years and older. This is primarily because the immune system weakens as you age. Fortunately, flu vaccines for seniors help to take care of this problem.

Common Signs You’re Dealing with the Flu

If you’re unsure of whether or not you have the flu, it helps to learn the symptoms of this illness. In certain situations, people can sometimes confuse other illnesses with the flu. Considering that, here are four common flu symptoms to watch out for.

• Fatigue
  
  One of the most common signs of the flu is feeling fatigued. You’ll usually notice that fatigue accompanying the flu is quite severe. This means you’ll be feeling much more tired than usual. That being said, it’s easy to confuse being fatigued with feelings of tiredness. Therefore, it helps to learn about other symptoms of the flu.
• Excessive Shivering
  
  Another sign that you’re dealing with the flu is if you develop body chills. It’s common to feel this shivery sensation while inside of a cold room. If your body continues to shiver, this could be caused by the influenza virus. It’s wise to take your temperature while dealing with this situation. Body chills accompanied by a fever are telltale signs that you’re dealing with the flu.
• Dealing with Aches and Pains
  
  There are many reasons for the body to feel achy. Injuries and accidents are known to cause damage, leaving the body dealing with large amounts of pain. Unfortunately, the flu is also known to make people feel aches all over their body. If you haven’t been recently injured and you’re feeling random body pain, it might be flu related.
• Sore Throat
  
  If you’re unsure if you have the flu, take a moment to assess how your throat feels. Sore throats accompany many conditions including strep and tonsillitis. This means it’s sometimes hard to tell if your sore throat is directly related to the flu. If you’re also dealing with the previously mentioned conditions, it’s wise to seek medical treatment immediately.

How a FLUAD Flu Shots Helps Senior Citizens

Senior citizens wanting to remain protected from this illness should consider receiving a FLUAD flu shot. The FLUAD vaccine is different from other types of vaccines because it contains an ingredient to help boost the immune systems. This is beneficial for seniors whose immune systems have weakened over time. If you’re a senior citizen, it’s certainly wise to consider receiving a FLUAD flu shot.

To summarize, it’s important to know how the flu affects senior citizens. Unfortunately, senior citizens have weaker immune systems than younger adults. Therefore, it’s advised that seniors receive flu vaccinations to eliminate the risk of dealing with this illness. The FLUAD flu shot was specially developed to help those at or over the age of 65 remain protected from the flu.