Wash hands, get flu shot to avoid fall illness

Well, summer was short-lived and now it’s fall. While we can revel in the brightly colored leaves and crisp apples, (OK, candy apples) autumn does have a downside – no, not winter lurking right around the corner – the beginning of flu season.

Now I don’t want to be the bearer of such news without at least offering some options thal will help you stay healthy.

Bangor Area Visiting Nurses has some ideas for keeping you in the pink.

“Frequent hand-washing is very important,” said Rhonda Ralph, director of clinical services at Bangor Area Visiting Nurses. “And avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. But the best protection against the flu is getting a flu shot.”

If you think about all the things in your daily life that are germ carriers, from door handles to money, hand washing sounds like a must. And there are wonderfully scented, moisturizing soaps that can leave your hands feeling soft as well as cleansed.

If hand washing is not possible, try using alcohol-based hand sanitizers. These waterless cleaners are readily available in stores and come in handy purse-size bottles.

It is also very important to keep your hands away from your face. If by chance you have shaken hands with someone who is sick or have touched something they have touched, and then you rub your eyes or nose, the virus on your fingers has just found a way into your whole body.

The flu virus is also airborne, so if you happen to be in the path of a recently executed cough or sneeze by an infected person, you could get sick. But getting a flu shot will help should you become ill.

“Getting a flu vaccination is not a 100 percent guarantee that you won’t contract the flu,” said Ralph. “However, should you get the flu, if you’ve had the shot, your symptoms will be reduced.”

For most healthy adults the flu makes life miserable for about a week, but generally does not cause any serious health problems. But for some people, including seniors, there is substantial risk when contracting the virus.

Almost overnight the flu can bring on complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia, which can be life-threatening for an elderly person, Ralph said. Delaying treatment can make matters worse.

“Some people are still resistant to the idea because of an old myth that the flu can be contracted from the actual flu shot. This is absolutely not true,” said Ralph. “The virus in the flu shot is dead, completely inactive, so it is impossible to get the flu from the shot. There is absolutely no danger of that.”

If you have a fear of needles and are wondering about the “nasal spray” vaccine, here is the scoop. The spray is only recommended for healthy people from age 5 to 49, and it does contain live virus although extremely weakened. If you are past the age of 50, your best defense against the flu is to roll up your sleeve and get the shot.

Flu season is November to March and since it takes about three weeks for the vaccine to “kick in,” BAVN is setting up clinics beginning in October.

“We’ve been doing these clinics for more than 10 years,” said Deb Jacques, director of community education at BAVN. “It is a community service that visiting nurses nationwide provide and we are happy to be able to do it as well. A staff clinician actually gives the shots but we have very dedicated volunteers who help with the paperwork which keeps the cost down.”

And speaking of cost, seniors need to bring their Medicare card because Part B will cover the price of the shot. For all others the cost is $20.

For more information, call Bangor Area Visiting Nurses at 973-6550.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865, log on www.eaaa.org.