A new white paper from GSA National Adult Vaccination Program, a team of experts outlines a set of recommendations to encourage better definition and increased understanding of how health professionals talk with their older patients about the need for certain vaccines.

Shared clinical decision making, a recently added category of recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), involves an informed discussion between the patient and health professional and a collaborative decision on whether to use the vaccine in that patient. This is a new approach for vaccines that have previously been universally recommended based on age or risk factor, and for health professionals who have previously been encouraged to use a presumptive recommendation to encourage vaccination.

A COVID-19 DECISION AID: How Do I Choose When to Interact with People or Take Part in Activities Outside My Home During the Pandemic.

This decision aid will guide you through a series of questions that are based on your interests and your level of risk for serious illness caused by COVID-19. Working step-by-step through this decision aid may help you clarify the reasons for doing or not doing an activity where other people are present. The amount of risk will vary depending on the activity, how bad the COVID-19 outbreak is in your area, and how well people in your area are using health precautions. 

Also available in PDF format in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin.

"A summit convened by Gerontological Society of America (GSA) National Adult Vaccination Program (NAVP) has resulted in a roadmap for advancing immunization efforts in long-term care (LTC) facilities. A dozen recommendations — including five priority actions — have been outlined in the white paper, “Charting a Path to Increase Immunization Rates in the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Settings.” 

Support provided by Sanofi.

This infographic illustrates key points from the publication Charting a Path to Increase Immunization Rates in the Post-Acute and Long-term Care Setting.

COVID-19 vaccines will help bring an end to the pandemic, and our success relies on people willing to be vaccinated. One proven way to improve uptake of vaccines is to identify a champion. An immunization champion can be a trusted community leader, health care professional, or anyone interested in sharing evidence-based information about COVID-19 vaccines. The following messages and strategies are compiled to help champions of COVID-19 vaccines improve uptake by staff and residents in long-term care facilities.

GSA asked for considerations for guidance that makes all adults feel safe in receiving vaccinations in their chosen location this year and moving forward. Providing these communications through health care providers and the aging network will give older adults and their caregivers the confidence to receive their recommended vaccinations. 

Support provided by GSK.

This fact sheet highlights the importance of vaccines for older adults, particularly in light of their wanning immunity. Gerontological Society of America gratefully acknowledges the financial support from GSK and the partnership of the American College of Physicians and the American Pharmacists Association for the development of the immunity guide

This fact sheet highlights the process for developing a COVID-19 vaccine and discusses changes in our bodies as we age that impact immunity.

This What’s Hot details immunosenescence, including causes and impact, and its relationship to vaccine-preventable diseases. It also describes emerging research linking vaccine-preventable diseases and “imflammaging,” the increasingly prothrombotic state that comes with advancing age and leads to increased risk of events such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and venous thromboembolism following infection. Raising vaccination rates for influenza, pneumococcal, and shingles, consequently, can help lower rates of these events. The document addresses new formulations of vaccines specifically designed to overcome immunosenescence, which are showing exciting efficacy in older adults.

This What's Hot newsletter provides readers with snapshots of noteworthy research presented at key annual meetings and articles published in preeminent scholarly publications, and includes vaccine effectiveness of influenza vaccines and the clinical data for how the high-dose vaccine works in older adults. The science, with a focus on aging, is accompanied by expert discussion and analysis of the additional questions raised by the research. We believe that this latest issue in our What's Hot series will assist you in better understanding the impact of Immunosenescence on the 7,000 to 10,000 people turning 65 every day for the next 18 years that will be affected by the science immunosenescence as they age.

Support provided by Sanofi.