From Flu Shot Skeptic to Advocate
In 2019, SCAN member Karen C. went to her doctor’s office and did something she thought she’d never do—she rolled up her sleeve and got a flu shot. For Karen, it was a turning point in both her attitude and her health.
“I was 65 and had really resisted getting the flu shot up to that point. I figured I didn’t need it because I was healthy,” says Karen. “Plus, I had bought into those conspiracy theories that if I got the shot it would give me the flu.”
But her thinking started to change when she realized that whenever her granddaughter would get sick with a cold, Karen would get one that was even worse. “Three times what was a cold for my granddaughter turned into bronchitis and then pneumonia for me,” Karen says. “That’s when I said, ‘Enough.’
“It was clear that my body was telling me it knew better,” she adds. “At that point, whatever reasons I had for avoiding a flu shot were nothing compared to me not wanting to get bronchitis and pneumonia again.”
Trust Helps
Since starting to get a flu shot every year, Karen has never again gotten sick with the flu—not even when her granddaughter has had a cold. That fact has Karen believing in the flu shot after all.
“Seniors have so much to think about, especially when it comes to their health; it’s often hard to know who and what to believe,” she says. “We need to be educated so we can take advantage of the preventive measures that will help us stay healthy as our bodies age.”
For Karen, that means trusting in her health plan: “SCAN really promotes healthy living, so when SCAN recommends I get a flu shot, I can trust it’s the right thing to do.”
Karen’s trust in SCAN led her to sign on as one of our Senior Advocates in Alameda County, Calif. She hopes sharing her story will help fellow SCAN members who aren’t sure about a flu shot, but she understands that people may have their own reasons for choosing not to get one.
“A flu shot is a personal decision,” she says. “The thing is, while we can choose to get it or not, we don’t get to choose whether we get sick with the flu or develop complications from it. For me, it’s not worth taking that chance. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“I was 65 and had really resisted getting the flu shot up to that point. I figured I didn’t need it because I was healthy,” says Karen. “Plus, I had bought into those conspiracy theories that if I got the shot it would give me the flu.”
But her thinking started to change when she realized that whenever her granddaughter would get sick with a cold, Karen would get one that was even worse. “Three times what was a cold for my granddaughter turned into bronchitis and then pneumonia for me,” Karen says. “That’s when I said, ‘Enough.’
“It was clear that my body was telling me it knew better,” she adds. “At that point, whatever reasons I had for avoiding a flu shot were nothing compared to me not wanting to get bronchitis and pneumonia again.”
Trust Helps
Since starting to get a flu shot every year, Karen has never again gotten sick with the flu—not even when her granddaughter has had a cold. That fact has Karen believing in the flu shot after all.
“Seniors have so much to think about, especially when it comes to their health; it’s often hard to know who and what to believe,” she says. “We need to be educated so we can take advantage of the preventive measures that will help us stay healthy as our bodies age.”
For Karen, that means trusting in her health plan: “SCAN really promotes healthy living, so when SCAN recommends I get a flu shot, I can trust it’s the right thing to do.”
Karen’s trust in SCAN led her to sign on as one of our Senior Advocates in Alameda County, Calif. She hopes sharing her story will help fellow SCAN members who aren’t sure about a flu shot, but she understands that people may have their own reasons for choosing not to get one.
“A flu shot is a personal decision,” she says. “The thing is, while we can choose to get it or not, we don’t get to choose whether we get sick with the flu or develop complications from it. For me, it’s not worth taking that chance. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
