Having a weakened immune system that is considered as a low priority can be dangerous because of lowered physical functioning, increased risks for harsh sickness, and increased risk of dying from the flu (Bakhshi & While, 2014). Elderly patients do not seek out to medical help for their immunizations and vaccines for numerous reasons, such as low health literacy, limited access to healthcare, language barriers, demographics, varying attitudes and beliefs about the flu vaccine, and poor patient-provider communication (Bakhshi & While, 2014). The most popular reason why elderly patients do not seek medical assistance would be the patient’s limited access to care. Right now, there are 1.4 million elderly patients living in a long-term care facility (CDC, …show more content…
Patients who do not have a car, cannot drive, or physically impaired could limit the access to care are at an increased risk for getting the flu (Bakhshi & While, 2014). For this reason, doctors should go to the long-term facility, so that the elderly are able to get a flu shot at their convenience. As people get older, they might not know what certain things are, such as the flu, so they should be more educated on the available resources to pay for the flu shot, along with the symptoms and preventatives for the flu (Bakhshi & While, 2014). This would improve the older person’s immune system and