Help Your Immune System
Use preventive health measures, and vaccination above all, to keep your defences strong and lower your chance of serious illness.
Vaccines do the heavy lifting
Vaccines teach your immune system to recognise and fight specific germs before they can make you seriously ill. As we age, the immune system responds more slowly, which is why older adults face a higher risk from influenza, pneumonia, shingles, COVID-19, and RSV.
Staying up to date is one of the safest and most effective ways to protect your health. A single visit to a pharmacist can update several vaccines at once. In BC the flu, COVID-19, pneumococcal and tetanus vaccines are free, while shingles and RSV vaccines are usually purchased.
A note on "immune boosting": the proven way to strengthen your defences is vaccination, alongside good sleep, regular activity, and balanced nutrition. Be cautious of products that promise to "boost" immunity, since they are rarely backed by evidence.
Are your vaccinations up to date?
Tick the vaccines you are current on. Your result points you to anything worth raising with your pharmacist or doctor.
Other ways to support your defences
Vaccination does the heavy lifting. A handful of everyday habits also help your immune system respond well, including to the vaccines themselves.
Keep moving
Regular, moderate activity is linked with better immune function and a stronger antibody response to vaccines. See Train Your Body.
Eat for immunity
Enough protein, with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D, zinc, and vitamin C, gives immune cells what they need to do their work. See Vary Your Diet.
Sleep well
Good sleep helps the body fight off infection and improves how well vaccines take. A regular sleep routine is a simple place to start.
Staying socially connected and easing long-term stress support immune health too, while smoking weakens it. Gains in these areas add up, and they help the rest of your health at the same time.
Steps to stay protected
Book a vaccination review
Ask your pharmacist or doctor to check your record against the schedule for older adults. They can give most vaccines on the spot.
Get your flu shot every autumn
Influenza changes each year, so a yearly shot keeps your protection current before the season begins.
Ask about shingles and RSV
The shingles vaccine is recommended from age 50 and the RSV vaccine from age 75. Both are very effective, yet often missed. In BC you usually buy these, though some insurance plans help with the cost.
Keep a simple record
Note the dates so boosters are easy to track, and carry it when you travel.
Support your defences
Sleep well, stay active, and eat a balanced diet, all of which help your immune system work as it should.
What the research shows
Vaccines protect older adults from serious illness
A review of vaccination in older patients concluded that vaccines reduce infections that might otherwise cause hospital stays and a cascade of further decline. Because aging weakens the immune response, the protection vaccines provide is especially valuable later in life.
The flu vaccine lowers illness and hospital stays
In a well-matched season, influenza vaccination lowers the chance of falling ill by roughly 40 to 60 percent, and reduces the risk of hospital admission among older adults. Protection fades over the year, which is why it is repeated each season.
Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Immunization Guide.
Shingles and RSV vaccines are highly effective
The current shingles vaccine prevents more than nine in ten cases of shingles and its painful complications. Newer RSV vaccines markedly lower the risk of severe lung infection in older adults. In BC the shingles vaccine is recommended from age 50, and the RSV vaccine from age 75 (adults 60 to 74 can discuss it with their provider). Both are usually purchased rather than publicly funded.
Public Health Agency of Canada, National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
Staying active strengthens your defences
Regular, moderate exercise is associated with better immune function and fewer infections, and it improves how well the body responds to vaccines. Activity supports the immune system across the lifespan.
Nutrition gives immune cells what they need
Adequate protein and micronutrients, including vitamins C and D, zinc, and selenium, are needed for immune cells to develop and respond. Shortfalls, which are common in later life, can weaken the response to infection.
Sleep helps the body fight infection
In a study where volunteers were exposed to a cold virus, those who slept less were far more likely to fall ill. Good sleep also helps vaccines produce a stronger, longer-lasting response.