Everyday health Note · 4 min read

Vaccines after 60: four to ask her doctor about

Flu every year, pneumococcal, shingles and a tetanus booster. What health agencies recommend for older adults, and what to ask her doctor

The Pushpa team · 6 sources

Pushpa notes20

Her vaccines

FluEvery year · due October
PneumococcalDone · March 2025
ShinglesAsk Dr. Mehta
Tetanus boosterDone · 2021

Her vaccines

Vaccines feel like something for children. But several are recommended for older adults, and they are easy to miss when nobody thinks to ask. These are the ones health agencies in the US and UK recommend. Indian guidance can differ, so take this list to her doctor

The four to ask about

Flu: once every year. The NHS explains why: protection fades, and the flu strains change each year
Pneumococcal, which protects against a common cause of pneumonia. The US CDC now recommends it for all adults 50 and older; the NHS gives one dose at 65. Most adults need only one dose
Shingles: two doses. You can get shingles more than once, so the NHS advises vaccination even if she's had it before
Tetanus: a booster every 10 years, according to the CDC, or sooner if her record is uncertain

91%

protection against shingles from the two-dose vaccine in adults 70 and over (CDC)

Making it happen

Ask her doctor which of these she needs, given her conditions and her medicines
Ask what's available locally, and what it costs. Some vaccines need a prescription
Keep a written record of each dose and its date, with her other papers
Set a reminder for the yearly flu shot before the season starts

How Pushpa helpsPushpa keeps a record of each vaccine and its date in her profile, and reminds the family when the yearly flu shot or a second shingles dose is due

This is general information, not medical advice. Her doctor decides what she needs