13 February 2017
Written by Generations United
Grandparents and grandfriends go to great lengths to protect the children in their lives. Among other things they provide safe environments, share stories that connect children to their roots and, in some cases, help pay for their education or after-school activities.
They care deeply. So why then does the number of adults up to date on their vaccinations remain low?
Only 20 percent have received their Tdap vaccination to provide protection from tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough.To help educate unsuspecting older adults, children and youth and families, Generations United launched Valuing Vaccinations Across Generations, an awareness campaign designed to bridge age-specific efforts to increase immunizations into intergenerational conversations within families and among different generations.
The campaign – which launched in 2016 with The Gerontological Society of America and The American Academy of Pediatrics, with funding from Pfizer – aims to bridge the importance of immunizations within segmented groups into an intergenerational conversation within families and among different generations. In its first year, the campaign produced compelling and sharable content including an informational infographic and discussion guide about the critical importance of vaccinations across generations.
Given its focus on encouraging intergenerational discussions between family members and generations, Valuing Vaccinations Across Generations strongly aligns with the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations’ (CoMO) Life Course Immunisation Initiative.
We’re grateful for CoMO’s partnership in raising awareness about the critical importance of vaccinations for all ages.
By focusing on the importance of immunizations among generations, particularly on both ends of the age spectrum, families can gain a greater appreciation of the advances that have been made in their grandparent's lifetime, and how much we dependent on each other's protection to stay healthy.To learn more about this important initiative visit: https://bandageofhonor.org