With winter fast approaching, it’s more important than ever to promote the benefits of vaccination to staff, residents, and family members. 

The risk for hospitalization related to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among assisted living residents, for example, has been found to be 3 to 9 times higher than the risk for community-dwelling older adults according to a recently published study.

To combat RSV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its vaccination guidance for older adults. The agency now recommends that individuals aged 60 to 74 years who are at increased risk for severe RSV receive a single dose of the RSV vaccine and that all adults over 75 should get vaccinated.

In a different study, older adults who received the RSV vaccine were less likely to be hospitalized for the virus than those who were unvaccinated. The study involved nearly 3,000 adults aged 60 and older. Vaccine effectiveness against RSV-associated hospitalizations was 75%. With up to 160,000 RSV infections occurring nationally every year, these findings are significant. 

Long-term care providers are encouraged to work with their pharmacies to develop a vaccination plan.