The 6 most important vaccines for people 60 and older

The infamous flu season is upon us (though technically, influenza viruses can circulate year-round), which serves as a great reminder to ensure you’re up to date on vaccinations. One population that especially needs to be mindful of their vaccination status is older adults.

“When I treat older patients, I like to stress that a proactive vaccination schedule is critical for preventing serious illnesses,” says Dr. Chris Vercammen, a general internist and the medical director at Remo Health.

These are the six most important vaccines for people 60 or older to get in the next month or two, according to Vercammen and another doctor we talked to:

■ Flu vaccine: This is the “No. 1 most important vaccine” for everyone over 6 months or older, and “especially for people over 50,” according to Dr. Grant Fowler, the chair of family medicine at Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University and an expert in geriatric medicine.

The flu is always a concern, but it is even more so now. Last year, Fowler says, fewer people got the vaccination, and about 27,000 people died.

“The majority of the deaths were people 65 and older,” he adds. “This was a lower vaccination rate than prior years; it dropped to below pre-pandemic vaccination levels.”

Vercammen agrees that the flu vaccine is paramount. “Older adults are at a significantly higher risk for severe complications from the flu,” he says.

He recommends getting this vaccination every year, ideally by the end of October.

“For my patients over 65, I typically advise either a high-dose or an adjuvanted flu vaccine, as those are specifically formulated to create a stronger immune response,” Vercammen adds.

■ COVID vaccine: Yep, COVID is still among us, though thankfully not to the same extent. Getting this vaccine again is important, too, especially because COVID may be more deadly than the flu.

“To protect against severe disease onset and symptoms, hospitalization and other long-term complications in older patients, I encourage people to stay up to date with the latest recommended COVID-19 vaccine,” Vercammen says.

“After age 65, the CDC is recommending two doses of updated COVID vaccines six months apart, especially in those with risk factors,” Fowler adds.

■ TDAP vaccine: You only need to get this vaccine (or its booster) once every 10 years; it doesn’t require a yearly dosage. It protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.

“We saw a little uptick in pertussis (whooping cough) cases this year and last year,” Fowler says. “This (vaccine) protects not only the elderly, but especially young children (younger than three months) if the elderly are around them.”

■ RSV vaccine: This vaccine is relatively new and is recommended for people over age 75, or over age 50 with risk factors, such as COPD, asthma, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease on dialysis, diabetes with complications, severe liver disease, severe obesity or those who live in a nursing home, according to Fowler.

RSV is a condition that can cause severe respiratory illness, Vercammen says, especially in older adults with underlying conditions. He recommends considering the vaccine as early as 60 years old, saying your health care provider can help you nail the exact timing after assessing your risk factors.

■ Pneumococcal vaccines: Vercammen strongly recommends this for people who are 65 or older, noting it can safeguard against life-threatening conditions.

“These vaccines protect against diseases caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, which can include pneumonia, meningitis and bloodstream infections,” he says.

■ Shingles vaccine: The shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine is called Shingrix. It’s important for people over 50 years old.

“Shingles can be an extremely painful condition,” Vercammen says. “Shingrix, which is administered as a two-dose series, is highly effective at preventing the virus and its complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia.”

If you’ve already gotten those two doses, you’re good to go. Otherwise, check with your health care provider.

Other important health practices

Abiding by the usual health and safety precautions is also important, both for avoiding disease and for your health more generally. Doctors list the following examples:

■ Good, frequent handwashing.

■ Avoid touching your face.

■ Avoid crowded places when epidemics are happening, such as the peak flu season.

■ Wear a mask if you go into crowded places during epidemics.

■ Get an annual wellness screening evaluation with your primary care provider.

■ Exercise regularly — walking and/or weights and resistance training can prevent falls.

■ Don’t drink more than one alcoholic drink a day on average.

■Get hearing evaluations and use hearing aids, for both social health and possibly dementia prevention.

■ Get vision evaluations and glaucoma checks — this can also decrease the risk of falls.

■ Eat a balanced diet.

■ Try to get quality sleep.

Getting vaccines and following these best practices aren’t a 100 percent guarantee that you won’t get sick, but they’re the best chance we’ve got.