Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 6, 2023 THE SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 13 Sa nr Sa a nior y Senior Seni by Jim Miller Three Vaccines Seniors Should Consider Getting This Fall Dear Savvy Senior, Which vaccines are recommended for Medicare seniors this fl u season? Just Turned 65 Dear Just Turned, There are actually three different types of vaccines seniors should consider getting this fall to protect against a repeat of last winter’s “tripledemic” of respiratory illnesses, which included fl u, RSV and coronavirus. Here’s a rundown of the diff erent vaccines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending and how they are covered by Medicare. Senior-Specifi c Flu Shots For people age 65 and older, there are three fl u vaccines (you only need one) that the CDC recommends over traditional fl u shots. These FDA-approved vaccines provide extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot does, which is important for older adults who have weaker immune defenses and have a greater risk of developing dangerous fl u complications compared with younger, healthy adults. The three senior-specific options include the: • Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine, which contains four times the amount of antigen as a regular fl u shot does, creating a stronger immune response for better protection. • Fluad Quadrivalent vaccine, which contains an added ingredient called adjuvant MF59 that also helps create a stronger immune response. • FluBlok Quadrivalent vaccine, is a recombinant protein (egg-free) fl u vaccine that contains three times the amount of antigen as compared with a regular fl u shot. There isn’t enough evidence yet to indicate whether one of these three vaccines provides superior protection over the other two for seniors. As for side eff ects, you should know that the Fluzone HighDose and Fluad vaccines can cause more of the mild side effects that can occur with a standard-dose fl u shot, like pain or tenderness where you got the shot, muscle aches, headache or fatigue. While the side eff ects of Flublok tend to be a little less frequent. All fl u vaccines are covered 100 percent by Medicare Part B as long as your doctor, health clinic or pharmacy agrees not to charge you more than Medicare pays. New RSV Vaccines Anyone age 60 and older, especially if you have any heart or lung conditions, diabetes, kidney or liver disorders that make you vulnerable to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) should consider getting one of the new FDA approved RSV vaccines (either Arexvy or Abrysvo). These vaccines, recommended by the CDC, will help protect older and immunocompromised adults from respiratory illness, which is responsible for 6,000 to 10,000 deaths and at least 60,000 hospitalizations each year in seniors 65 and older. The new RSV vaccines are covered by Medicare (Part D) prescription drug plans. Updated Covid Booster If you haven’t had a Covid-19 booster shot lately, you should consider getting one this fall. Even though the Covid public health emergency has ended and the number of cases has gone way down, it has been surging in recent months causing an increase in hospitalizations, especially among the elderly. The updated Covid vaccine targets the XBB omicron subvariants that are some of the most dominate coronavirus variants circulating in the U.S. It will also provide protection against the EG.5 variant (Eris), which is closely related to the XBB. Covid booster shots are covered 100 percent by Medicare Part B. When and Where Most health officials agree that it’s safe to receive the fl u and Covid booster at the same time. But because the RSV vaccines are new this year, many doctors are recommending a two-week window between an RSV shot and the fl u and/or the COVID shots. You can fi nd all three vaccines at most pharmacies, medical clinics and health departments, or you can do a search at Vaccines.gov. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. ior dates should be able to say what they need to say in 200 to 400 words. Introduce yourself, summarize your background and state what makes your candidacy special. But be brief and don’t wait until the fi nal weeks to make your announcement. One of the most important jobs of any newspaper is to provide accurate, fair and thorough coverage of a local election. For the next fi ve weeks up until election day, The Saugus Advocate will strive to do that. And hopefully, win or lose, the election campaign will be a positive experience for the participating candidates. Hopefully, each candidate, through the campaign, will contribute to the betterment of Saugus. At the moment, I am in talks with SaugusTV, in hopes of arranging several candidate debates or forums to better educate the voters about the major issues being debated in the context of this year’s political campaign. Like the previous three town election campaigns I have covered since taking over as editor of The Saugus Advocate in March 2016, we will be dedicating “The Advocate Asks” column to questioning the Board of Selectmen and School Committee candidates about important issues which concern them. We will also take a closer look at the Charter Commission and the Housing Authority races as well as the 10 Town Meeting races. SAVE Selectmen candidates forum – Oct. 25 This late-breaking announcement is from Pamela J. Goodwin, secretary for Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE). “Once again, SAVE is hosting its Environmental Candidates Night for Board of Selectmen candidates. The event will be held at the Saugus Town Hall Auditorium on Wednesday, October 25rd, from 7 to 9 p.m.” Stay tuned. Candidates’ announcements on Saugus TV Saugus TV cordially invites candidates for the Saugus Board of Selectmen and School Committee to take advantage of our three-minute speech opportunities at Saugus TV. This is an excellent chance for you to introduce yourself to the community and share your vision for the upcoming election. Our state-of-the-art studio, conveniently located at 30 Main Street, will be available to candidates to deliver their speeches. To secure your time slot, kindly get in touch with Rachel Brugman, Saugus TV’s Operations Manager, at 781231-2883 or R.Brugman@SaugusTV.org. All speeches must be recorded by 5 p.m. on October 19, 2023. Additionally, we are pleased to off er digital signage opportunities for candidates running for all offi ces, granting you exposure on our community bulletin board located on Comcast Channel 8 in Saugus. These slides will run from October 7 to November 7. We look forward to collaborating with all of you! A word from “The Pumpkin Patch” The First Congregational Annual Pumpkin Patch is upand-running and will be open through Halloween, October 31. Pumpkins of all sizes are displayed on the church lawn and will be available for purchase every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. “Come and visit our Pumpkin Patch. It will put you in the fall spirit,” Pumpkin Patch coordinator Carl Spencer said. “The pumpkins are going fast, so come and choose yours. On Saturday, October 14 at 9am the second Pumpkin Truck arrives with more pumpkins. Help will be needed to unload the truck. The church truly enjoys hosting this great fall event.” Town Democrats meet Oct. 18 The Saugus Democratic Town Committee will hold its monthly meeting on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Police Training Room at the Saugus Public Safety Building (27 Hamilton St.). Members of the public are welcome to attend. The primary function of the Committee is the support of Democratic candidates for offi ce, both locally and at the state level. For questions contact saugusdtc@ gmail.com. Town Republicans meet Oct. 12 The next meeting of the Saugus Republican Town Committee will be on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the MEG Building (58 Essex St.). There are several important items of business on the committee’s agenda: · Nomination papers for the Saugus Republican Town Committee membership · Signature petition papers for the Voter Identifi cation Requirement · Signature petition papers for Auditing of State Legislature · Meet & Greet” table at the “New Saugus Resident” (Saugus 4-1-1) event on Saturday, Oct. 14 “Saugus Over Coff ee” The fi nal “Saugus Over Coffee” forum is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23 in the Community Room of the Saugus Public Library and will feature Precinct 10. For those Saugus residents who are unfamiliar with the “Saugus Over Coff ee” forums, they are cosponsored by The Saugus Advocate and the Saugus Public Library. The primary purpose is to give citizens in each of the town’s 10 precincts an opportunity to voice their concerns about top issues in their respective precincts. It also gives them an opportunity to meet their Town Meeting representatives and chat over a cup of coff ee. Town Meeting members will benefi t by getting to know more about concerns in their precincts. Viewers of the forums videotaped by Saugus TV will also get to learn a little about the history or interesting things about the precinct being featured each month. Stay tuned for more information as “Saugus Over Coff ee” continues. Please check with The Saugus Advocate or library for any changes in dates. Residents can check the programming guide on the station’s website (www.saugustv.org) for dates and times. A video of the forum will also be available for viewing on the station’s vimeo page within a day or two after the event; www.vimeo. com/saugustelevision. For loss of loved ones The Saugus YMCA will host a session, “Grieving A Loved One,” every Thursday in October, from 6:30 to 7:30. The topics will include the grieving process, coping skills and moving forward. The Facilitator will be Ed Bernard, Health Care Chaplain and Pastor (508-2458885). There is no charge. All that is asked of participants in these groups is to respect the privacy of others without judgment. Please email dcolarossi@ metronorthymca.org to register or with any questions. Saugus Cultural Council Seeking Funding Proposals Educational, artistic and community-engagement project organizers in Saugus and neighboring residents are encouraged to apply for a part of the $14,900 funding the Saugus Cultural Council has received from Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, to award in a Local Cultural Council (LCC) grant. The deadline to submit an application THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 15
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