Respiratory Disease in Older Adults: Focus on RSV
February 27, 2017

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause infections of the respiratory tract, which in some cases may lead to serious illness or death in vulnerable populations, particularly among older adults over the age of 60. In fact, RSV has been identified as the second-most common cause of viral pneumonia in older adults, after influenza. Older adults are among those most susceptible to RSV due to immunosenesence, resulting in decreases of RSV neutralizing titers and cell-mediated immunity responses. RSV in older adults additionally impacts the health and wellness of loved ones and caregivers.

This GSA webinar will address the epidemiology of respiratory disease in older adults, immunology and aging- why older adults get respiratory disease, and how to prevent and manage RSV infections. Featured speakers include GSA experts R. Gordon Douglas, Jr, MD; Stefan Gravenstein, MD, MPH; and David Canaday, MD.

• The archived webinar (link to YouTube)
• Webinar slides (PDF format)

This webinar was developed by GSA and supported by Novavax. 

Strategies to Advance the Adult Vaccination Plan Through a Focus on Influenza
August 2, 2016

Learn about the National Adult Immunization Plan (NAIP) released in February 2016 by the National Vaccine Program Office, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Angela Shen addresses the four NAIP goals and key focus areas. GSA Executive Director and James Appleby shares actionable ideas generated by a multidisciplinary group to advance adult influenza immunization rates using the NAIP framework and key focus objectives. When it comes to saving people’s lives and reducing human disease and affliction, few interventions can match the record of vaccines. Participate in this one-hour webinar and learn ways to use the NAIP as a road map to create your influenza immunization strategy.

Featured speakers include Angela Shen, ScD, MPH, Senior Science Policy Advisor, National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO), US Department of Health and Human Services, and James Appleby, BSPharm, MPH, Executive Director and CEO of The Gerontological Society of America.

• The archived webinar (link to YouTube)
• Advancing the National Adult Immunization Plan Through a Focus on Influenza program proceedings

Addressing concerns about vaccines

“The news media’s attempt to be fair and balanced often results in quoting individuals on both sides of a vaccine issue. In other words, expert opinions of scientists or medical professionals are often juxtaposed against a parent who is certain that vaccines caused harm, when, in fact, the weight of the evidence counters such claims. That is, personal stories and anecdotes are often juxtaposed against factual opinions based on a large body of sustained scientific work. Inaccurate stories and misstatement of facts on vaccines, even when contradicted, remain in people’s minds.” - Assessing the State of Vaccine Confidence in the United States: Recommendations from the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, 2015

What is vaccine confidence?

The National Vaccine Advisory Committee defines vaccine confidence as the trust that [adults] or health-care providers have 

1. in the recommended immunizations,
2. in the provider(s) who administers vaccines, and
3. in the process that leads to vaccine licensure and the recommended vaccination schedule.

• Anyone! Individuals report that it is ultimately a conversation with a health care provider that changes their mind about vaccines. However, other issues impact the decision as well:
  
  
  • Perceptions of susceptibility, severity of disease, and efficacy of the vaccine 
  
  
  
  • Social norms via groups of friends, news media stories, and cognitive heuristics used in health-related decisions
  
  
  
• Those who work with older adults in a variety of settings can help influence the conversation, educate about susceptibility and severity, and set social norms about vaccine decision making. (See pages 7-8 of GSA's publication Communicating With Older Adults for a case study.) 

• Most efforts to help guide vaccine conversations focus on presentation of facts; however, literature shows that decisions are made based on cognitive biases and heuristics rather than rationally. In their 2011 article, “Vaccine education spectrum disorder: the importance of incorporating psychological and cognitive models into vaccine education,” (Vaccine, Volume 29, Issue 37, 26 August 2011, pages 6145-6148), Poland and Poland provide ideas for moving forward.
  
  
  • Be knowledgeable in health education theory- the Transtheoretical Model, self-efficacy theory, Health Belief Model, and ecologic theories all have roles in play in helping move individuals to action.
  
  
  
  • Define your audience- understand their needs, cognitive abilities, and emotional baseline. Identify where the audience finds value in different modes or styles of education (eg, social media, gaming technology, scientific reviews). Decide whether to use gain-based or loss-based theories of health messaging. 
  
  
  
  • Match the audience’s cognitive style to an approach. Poland and Poland use this non-exhaustive table.
  
  
  

• Generations United, AAP, and GSA BandAGE of Honor Campaign
• Assessing the State of Vaccine Confidence in the United States: Recommendations from the National Vaccine Advisory Committee
• CDC Adult Vaccine Resources
• Immunization Action Coalition Adult Vaccine Clinic Resources
• Communicating with Older Adults (see pages 7-8 for influenza case study)

Partner Statements on Vaccine Safety

• National Association of County and City Health Officials: Vaccine Safety Policy Statement and blog post
  
• American Academy of Family Physicians: Vaccines are Safe, Effective and They Save Lives
• American College of Physicians: Immunizations are Safe
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Statement