When fit and active 74-year-old Larry Sharpe set out on a family vacation to Hawaii, he never thought he might not make it home.
Only a few days into the trip, Sharpe began to feel unwell – a sore back, cold-like symptoms and eventually debilitating fatigue. After three days of worsening symptoms, Sharpe’s family rushed him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with influenza A.
“It turned out I had contracted Influenza A and had developed pneumonia on top of that. When I got to the hospital, they found out that my blood oxygen level was only 20%. I was on an isolated ward so there was no way that my family could come and visit me,” Sharpe says.
“The nurse that was checking me in asked me if I had my affairs in order and whether I wanted to see a Chaplain.”
Sharpe and his family had no idea just how life-threatening contracting the flu had been.
Seniors are extra vulnerable to the flu as their immune system weakens and their susceptibility to disease increases. Of the many people who are hospitalized by the flu each year, 70% of those are seniors and seniors account for 91% of flu-related deaths, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is important that everyone protects themselves, their family, friends, and co-workers by getting an influenza shot. For seniors, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends the High Dose Quadrivalent vaccine over the standard dose for those 65+.
It’s also highly recommended for seniors who have at least one of the following chronic conditions, including arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, respiratory, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to protect themselves against influenza and potentially worsening their chronic condition. This vaccine can be accessed by request from your pharmacist. Talk to your pharmacist about which vaccine is best for you.
Influenza has been found to negatively affect the functional status in seniors and be associated with declines in the ability to perform activities of daily living such as getting dressed, making the bed, or taking care of personal hygiene.
Sharpe and his family were shocked by what a drastic toll the flu had on the otherwise healthy 74-year-old, who led an active lifestyle and ate a balanced diet.
“Larry was essentially bed-ridden and if he did want to get up, he had to have someone assist him. Having been active and suddenly realizing he couldn’t do things on his own was a shock,” Sharpe’s wife, Ronnie, says.
“It was a bit alarming to all the kids to see Dad in a wheelchair. They were devastated to realize that their strong active Dad was lying in this bed. It was at that point that they realized that we almost lost Dad.”
Now Sharpe and his family have the opportunity to advise their friends to protect themselves against the flu.
“Anybody could end up in that circumstance no matter what their health status and lifestyle had been up to that point,” Sharpe says.
To learn more, visit https://immunizebc.ca or https://www.19tozero.ca.
