After receiving their COVID-19 vaccine, your elderly loved one may breathe a sigh of relief and be eager to return to a semi-normal lifestyle.
While they may be excited, public health experts are still learning how exactly the vaccines curb the spread of coronavirus. Because of this, it’s important that both you and your elderly loved one take the right precautions.
Pinnacle Home Care wants to keep the best interests of your elderly loved ones in mind. That’s why we’ve compiled answers to some commonly asked vaccine questions, so you can help your elderly loved one make safe choices while enjoying the privileges full vaccination can provide.
What activities are safe for older adults who are fully vaccinated?
There are some pre-pandemic activities that are much safer again once your elderly loved one is fully vaccinated. Some of those include:
- Visiting other fully vaccinated individuals in their homes without masks or social distancing.
- Visiting one other household of non-vaccinated individuals who aren’t at risk for severe illness.
- Traveling domestically without quarantining or having to take a COVID test.
- Traveling internationally without quarantining or having to take a COVID test (depends on destination).
While these activities are much safer than they were before, fully vaccinated older adults should still take precautions. For instance, it can still be risky to attend medium- or large-sized gatherings, like parties, or public spaces like restaurants, movie theaters or bars. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are proving to be highly effective. However, new coronavirus variants from places like the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil are creating concerns for some public health experts. Until we know more about these variants, safeguards like mask-wearing and social distancing are crucial for your loved one’s health and safety.
And while traveling may be safer for those fully vaccinated, your elderly loved one should remain cautious. The CDC has not come out with updated travel safety guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals.
Is it safe to visit in person with grandkids?
Older adults who are fully vaccinated can safely see their grandkids without masks or social distancing, even if their grandkids are too young for the vaccine. As long as interactions with their grandkids occur in a small social setting and is limited to one household, seeing them without masks or social distancing poses limited health risks.
What are the guidelines for wearing masks in public?
Even if your elderly loved one is fully vaccinated, they should still wear masks and socially distance in public spaces. It’s difficult to know who has and hasn’t received the vaccine in these settings, and the new variants could pose additional risk.
What can my elderly loved one do if they have an underlying health condition?
Older adults are already at increased risk for COVID-19 due to their age. However, if your elderly loved one has underlying health conditions like cystic fibrosis, asthma, chronic kidney disease or a weakened immune system, these conditions can still increase their risk for infection, even if they are fully vaccinated. If that’s the case, there are still extra precautions they should take.
Those precautions will often depend on the type of condition your elderly loved one has. Ensure you know the requirements for their treatment plan and anything that could pose health risks for them. A home health professional from Pinnacle can help identify those risks and provide proper guidance on how to address them.
Having accurate information is half of the battle
When your elderly loved one is fully vaccinated, a return to normalcy can feel good for your elderly loved one and the rest of your family. And by knowing what’s safe and where precautions are necessary, you can help your elderly loved one live their lives to the fullest.
For more information on what’s safe for your elderly loved one, contact Pinnacle Home Care for advice and guidance that fits your loved one’s needs.
