A SHOT OF PREVENTION
Be a responsible caregiver and get yourself immunized
BY:ALLISON CHRISTY HOOVER
A caregiver's primary concern must be to stay healthy in order to best provide an ailing loved one proper and effective attention. That's why the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration on Aging and the Family Caregiver Alliance National Center on Caregiving advocate getting immunized against influenza, pneumococcal disease and tetanus.And now, just before we enter flu season, would be the perfect time.
Forty thousand American adults die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases. To help reverse this tide, the Joint Commission—comprised of members of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, the American Dental Association, the American Hospital Association, and the American Medical Association—recently established new standards that require health professionals to be immunized. The FCA supports the concept that this become the standard for non-professional caregivers as well.
So protect yourself from getting sick. For more information regarding why you should be immunized, for what you should be immunized and immunization schedules, click on the links below:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Family Caregiver Alliance National Center on Caregiving