H1N1: Seniors be Damned

Is It Just Me, or do the powers-that-be have their heads where the sun doesn't shine when it comes to health care?

No, I'm not talking about the proposed health-care reform, scary thought though that may be. I'm referring to the H1N1 vaccine and how that whole situation has been handled.

Let me say this at the outset: I understand that it takes longer to "grow" this vaccine than the regular seasonal flu vaccine. I understand fully the need, especially when the supply is limited, to put the "women and kids" first; that is, people in high-risk groups like first responders, pregnant women and children absolutely should have access to the vaccine ahead of those in less danger. I understand that people age 65 and up, under normal circumstances, do not appear to contract the H1N1 virus nearly as often as younger folks -- and when they do, the symptoms usually are fairly mild. Given that, I can even understand why some states -- again given the limited supply of vaccine -- have opted to exclude senior citizens from receiving it at all.

Aye, but there's a rub: Senior citizens who have high-risk factors are left out in the cold totally. No, we aren't likely to be pregnant (thank you, God!); but we can and do suffer from serious respiratory ailments, have heart conditions and other health issues and, in many cases, still work or are volunteers in high-risk settings like public schools and hospitals. What, exactly, are we supposed to do? Why do the guidelines for vaccination not make allowances for us?

Here's a for-instance: A couple of H1N1 clinics have been sponsored by our local health department. And each time, the rules for eligibility were clear. The first one was for first-responders and those who provide direct health care. The second was for just about anyone else under the age of 65. Both were held weeks ago when the flu was spreading rapidly through the area where we live -- but my husband and I did not quality because we're fast closing in on 70.

Meantime, however, my husband, who supervises student teachers, was paying a number of visits to several area high schools -- interacting closely with both students and faculty. He also, I should add, had open-heart surgery (albeit many years ago) and now suffers from chronic sinus problems. As for me, I'm a state-certified volunteer long-term care ombudsman who meets with -- complete with hugs and kisses -- elderly residents of a nursing home on a weekly basis. Health-wise, I'm asthmatic, can expect a cold to lead to bronchitis and had pneumonia twice as a kid. Were either of us to contract the H1N1 virus, I have absolutely no doubt that we'd both be shipped to the hospital in very short order and extremely lucky if we didn't develop serious, if not fatal, complications. And should we be carriers of the virus, we could unwittingly pass it on to young folks and very frail seniors -- I don't even want to consider the possible dire consequences in those situations.

We're not alone; I can name quite a few other folks who are over age 65 who certainly should have been included in the high-risk category and thus entitled to receive the vaccine on a timely basis. In one sense, I suppose, we're luckier than some; finally, on Dec. 3, we were able to get the shots (though only after having to stand in line for an hour and a half). While we're happy to get it, at this point there are few, if any, cases of H1N1 anywhere around us. The chances that we'll ever be exposed to it or carry it to anyone else now are between slim and none, especially if we hold onto our stock in the hand sanitizer industry. But I guess those who are in our shoes risk-wise and live in those states that refuse to give the vaccine to anyone who resembles a senior citizen are expected to fend for themselves and the devil take the hindmost.

My point? Simply this: As with most health issues, H1N1 isn't black or white. Anyone with an ounce of brains should have realized there are exceptions to just about every rule. No matter what our age, we should at least have had the opportunity to explain that our existing respiratory conditions make us highly susceptible to complications of the H1N1 virus, which attacks the respiratory system with a vengeance. We should have had the opportunity to explain that even though we're not around high-risk groups every single day -- and only one of us is paid to do it -- we do it often enough, and in close enough proximity to, high-risk individuals for whom H1N1 poses a definite risk to us (from them) and those with whom we're visiting (from us).

Clearly, nobody at the top thought about those contingencies. And that bothers me enormously since those same shortsighted individuals now are trying to come up with substantial health-care reform. For all intents and purposes, at this point it looks from where I sit to be yet another one-size-fits all approach. Particularly in light of how the whole H1N1 situation is being handled, I'm worried that the number of people who need care but end up falling through the cracks with no access will be higher than it is now. I can only hope that someone, or several someones, at the top realize the need to pull off the blinders and look around at what's happening in the real world.

Or Is It Just Me?