Lake Regional Health System | Thrive | Winter 2019

lakeregional.com 5 Adult vaccines: 7 reasons to roll up your sleeve Still think shots are just for kids? Check out this list of reasons why you shouldn’t skimp on adult vaccinations. 1 Your age or situation could put you at risk for a preventable disease. For example, shingles and pneumonia shots are recommended for people in their 60s. You could be at risk for other diseases, too, because of your job or any chronic health conditions you may have, such as asthma or diabetes. 2 Vaccine protection fades over time. Just because you had a shot years ago doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the clear. For instance, adults need a booster to renew protection against tetanus (lockjaw) every 10 years. And you need a new flu shot every year. 3 Your loved ones depend on you being immunized. Vaccines don’t just help protect you; some also help protect the people around you. If your loved ones include children or older adults — two groups particularly vulnerable to infec- tious diseases — they could get very sick from diseases (like whooping cough or the flu) that they catch from you. 4 You could get very sick yourself. Every year, thousands of adults get sick from vaccine- preventable diseases. And each year, some people are hospitalized or even die from those diseases. 5 You’re a world traveler. Heading overseas? Some vaccinations are recommended before traveling to certain countries. 6 Not getting immunized could cost you time and money. You could miss work if you get sick from the flu or another illness that a vaccine could prevent. If you have to be hospitalized, that could cost you, too. On the other hand, many immuni- zations are covered by health insurance plans. 7 Immunizations are safe. Most side effects, if they happen at all, are mild and go away on their own. Vaccines also will not give you the disease they are designed to prevent. Now that you know why you need to stay up-to- date on vaccines, be sure to ask your doctor which immunizations you might need. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Foundation for Infectious Diseases DON’T HAVE A PCP? See profiles of our family medicine and internal medicine providers, as well as our pediatricians, at lakeregional.com/physicians . Regular checkups help you stay healthy You want to live a longer, healthier life, right? So if it’s been a while since you’ve had face time with your primary care provider (PCP), schedule a visit today. Regular checkups with your PCP — that’s the primary person you see for nonemergency health care — will help you stay healthy. He or she will make sure you’re getting the right screening tests and exams to find any health problems early, when the chance of effective treatment is better. Your PCP will also: • Keep a close watch on any existing health problems. • Help you make healthy lifestyle choices. • Refer you to a specialist when necessary.