CAREGIVER • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2022 • 5
201 Wood St.,
Tarentum, PA 15084
724.834.1151
Caregiver
EDITOR
Katie Green
kgreen@triblive.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Michael DiVittorio
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
PUBLICATION
DESIGN
Marje Wos
PUBLISHER
Trib Total Media
PRESIDENT & CEO
Jennifer Bertetto
ADVERTISING
INFORMATION
Audi Nypaver
724.226.7700
1 in 3 people in U.S. will develop shingles
have lived with you for more than
six months. To claim this tax credit,
fill out IRS Form 2441 (IRS.gov/
pub/irs-pdf/f2441.pdf) when you
file your federal return.
Flexible health savings
accounts
If you have a health savings
account or your employer offers a
flexible savings account, you can
use them to pay for your mom’s
medical expenses if she qualifies
as a dependent. But be aware that
if you use an HSA or FSA to pay
for your mom’s medical costs,
you can’t take a tax deduction on
those expenses too.
For more information, see IRS
Publication 969, “Health Savings
Accounts and Other Tax-Favored
Health Plans” at IRS.gov/pub/
irs-pdf/p969.pdf.
•••
Dear Savvy Senior,
How effective is the shingles vaccine and
what is the CDC recommendation for getting
it? My older brother and sister, both
METRO CREATIVE
in their 50s, got covid a few months back,
followed by shingles. Do you know if there
is a connection between these viruses, and
would the shingles vaccine have protected
them?
— Scared of Shingles
Dear Scared,
Great question! Many healthcare
professionals across the
country have been urging their
older patients to get the shingles
vaccine (in addition to the
covid-19 vaccinations) during
the pandemic because getting
covid-19 can increase your chances
of developing shingles. And the
1XHF-FIL-1 TribLIVE.com
WESTMORELAND
M A N O R
A Nurturing Environment
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Offering 24/7 Skilled Nursing Care
more severe case of covid you get,
the greater your risk for shingles.
The reason for this is because
when you contract covid-19, your
immune system becomes compromised
fighting off the virus,
which gives shingles — a virus
that already exists in your body
if you’ve had chickenpox — a
chance to reactivate.
Here’s what you should know
about shingles, the shingles vaccine
and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommendations.
What are Shingles?
Shingles, also known as herpes
zoster, is a burning, blistering
skin rash that affects around
1 million Americans each year.
The same virus that causes chickenpox
causes shingles. What happens
is the chickenpox virus that
most people get as kids never
leaves the body. It hides in the
nerve cells near the spinal cord
and, for some people, emerges
Dr. Thomas DeGregory, Medical Director
Eagle Tree Independent Living Apartments in a Protective Environment
later in the form of shingles.
In the U.S., about one out of
every three people will develop
shingles during their lifetime.
While anyone who’s had chickenpox
commonly occurs in people over
age 50, along with people who
have weakened immune systems.But you can’t catch shingles from
someone else.
Early signs of the disease include
before a blistering rash appears
several days later, and can last up
to four weeks. The rash typically
occurs on one side of the body,
often as a band of blisters that
extends from the middle of your
back around to the breastbone. It
can also appear above an eye or on
the side of the face or neck.
In addition to the rash, about
20 percent to 25 percent of those
who get shingles go on to develop
severe nerve pain (postherpetic
neuralgia, or PHN) that can last
for months or even years. And
(724) 830-4022 • WestmorelandManor.org • 2480 South Grande Boulevard, Greensburg
can get shingles, it most
pain, itching or tingling
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