Friday, October 31, 2014
Seniors, LTC Workers and Flu Shots (Who Gets What and Who Should?)
ElderLawGuy Jeff Marshall has an interesting blog post, inspired by a recent visit to his doctor where he was asked whether he wanted a "high dose" flu shot. He hadn't heard of high-dose shots. He demonstrates the same careful approach to this personal decision -- lots of research! -- that he uses with legal analysis for his clients.
But, along the same line, I wonder whether we should be asking related questions of long-term care workers and agencies. In Arizona, where my parents (both age 89) live, I learned that many home-care agencies (at least those not "Medicare-Certified") do not provide their employees with such vaccinations, and indeed such workers are often treated by their agencies as independent contractors, so they may be without employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. Such workers struggle to make ends meet -- and flu shots can seem like a luxury. But those same workers probably need to be immunized to better protect their clients. It may be up to the seniors themselves to be aware of this issue, and to pay for and make arrangements for their aides to get flu shots (of any strength).
What are the rules and practices in your state for immunization of in-home care-providers for the elderly?
I often struggle with how far to go in asking for government regulation of risk-factors; but at a minimum, it seems like families need to make their own cost-benefit analysis on immunization of home-aides.
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/elder_law/2014/10/seniors-ltc-workers-and-flu-shots-who-gets-what-and-who-should.html