Colds, flus, and the long winter of our bodies

Last Wednesday, also known as Christmas Eve, I was part of the Commons annual Tamalada, or community holiday tamale making and lunch, as one of the cooks.

Having spent my first year’s in San Antonio, Texas, I love tamales.  I mean, really love them. My mother told of keeping cold tamales from San Antonio’s then legendary Karam’s restaurant that I used to teeth on as a baby.  So it’s deep for me. 

I felt a wee bit tired afterwards and by afternoon I felt a bug about to bite me.  My partner Brooke had been fighting a bit of respiratory thing, and was sinking as well.

By Christmas morning the full weight of a really tough seasonal flu or cold landed on both of us, a gift neither one of us asked for, and for the last five days we’ve been wrassling with it as best we could.  Neither yet fully recuperated, and sort of stunned by the nagging ferocity of the thing.

This got me thinking about the stories of colds and flus and aging.  I am pretty certain every year you get a bit older, the threat of flus and colds, and now Covid in particular, become more serious.  Both Brooke and I were vaccinated for the seasonal flu and Covid, but it made me want to dig into the statistics, and share them with you about why this is definitely an issue for my efforts here on the Elderware Project.  Not just more news about what we know to be the winter scrourage, but also what you might do about it.

The Facts

Let’s start with flu, because it’s the heavyweight that too often hides behind the gentle word “seasonal.” Year after year in the U.S., older adults shoulder most of the severe outcomes. The CDC estimates that people 65 and older account for roughly 70–85% of flu-related deaths and 50–70% of flu-related hospitalizations. That’s the lion’s share, and it tracks with what we witness in our circles—one serious flu can become a long detour through pneumonia, rehab, and sometimes, grief. CDC

If you prefer rates to ratios, here’s another lens: before the COVID years scrambled everything, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that in 2018, influenza and pneumonia together killed 93.2 per 100,000 among folks 65+, rising to 377.6 per 100,000 for those 85+. Age doesn’t just add candles; it multiplies risk. CDC Blogs+1

“Colds,” meanwhile, sound like a shrug—tissues, tea, and daytime TV. But “cold” is a grab bag of viruses, with rhinoviruses the most common culprits. Most infections are mild, yes, but in higher-risk groups (that’s us in elder territory), colds can trigger serious illness, including pneumonia or dangerous flare-ups of heart and lung disease. The CDC’s rhinovirus and “common cold” pages say it plainly: mild for many, serious for some, especially with age or underlying conditions. Translation: don’t wave off that “just a cold” if it’s knocking you flat. CDC+1

Then there’s RSV—the virus many of us used to think of as only a baby’s problem. In older adults, RSV hospitalizations are real and rough; surveillance from 12 states in 2022–23 found severe outcomes in roughly 1 in 5 hospitalized adults 60+, with the biggest burden in 75+ and many patients living with COPD, heart failure, or diabetes. RSV can start like a cold and end as pneumonia; that’s why it deserves a seat at this table. CDC+1

Why age changes the game

Aging tweaks the immune system—slower to recognize threats, slower to marshal a response. Older adults also carry more chronic conditions, which respiratory viruses love to exploit. A “simple” upper-airway infection can “walk downstairs” into the lungs, or tip us into heart trouble. CDC’s risk guidance says it clearly: most deaths from respiratory viruses occur in people older than 65, with risk climbing as years climb. That’s not fearmongering; it’s what we need to plan around. CDC

Beyond the jab: a layered plan for elders (and the people who love us)

I’m as pro-vaccine as the next tamale maker, and I’ll keep rolling up my sleeve. I assume you're curious, what more we can do, beyond seasonal shots. Here’s a practical, dignity-forward bundle you can put to work at home, in congregate housing, and across community spaces where elders gather.

1) Make the air safer where we live and meet

We learned the hard way that these bugs move through air. The good news: cleaner indoor air works like seatbelts did for cars—mundane and lifesaving.

• HEPA filtration: Two portable HEPA units near the people breathing together can cut aerosol exposure dramatically; CDC’s own experiment showed up to 65% reduction with HEPA, reaching ~90% when combined with masking during higher-risk moments. That’s not theory; that’s measurable protection. CDC
• Ventilation standards: ASHRAE’s Standard 241 gives building owners a practical recipe—ventilation, filtration, and air cleaning—to reach an “equivalent clean air” target during high-risk periods (think winter virus season). If you run a senior center, faith hall, or condo board, adopting these specs is a concrete step past wishful thinking. ASHRAE+1
• EPA guidance backs this up: HVAC filters and room air cleaners reduce airborne viruses when used correctly. Not magic—just physics. Environmental Protection Agency

Pro tip from the homefront: aim for MERV-13 filters in central systems if they fit your blower’s specs, add a HEPA in the bedroom and one in the living room, and keep a window cracked when you’ve got visitors. Safer air is the new good hospitality.

2) Speed is medicine

For flu, time matters. If you’re 65+ and feel that truck hit you—fever, cough, aches—call the doc right away and ask about antivirals. Starting oseltamivir (or another approved antiviral) as soon as possible can shorten illness and reduce complications; CDC specifically recommends prompt antiviral treatment for older adults, even before a test returns during high-activity weeks. Families: help your elders make a “sick-day plan” with the clinic on speed dial. CDC+1

And if flu is moving through your household or a residence, clinicians can also consider post-exposure prophylaxis for close contacts at high risk. That’s a mouthful that means: don’t wait for the second domino to fall if the first one already has. Medical Letter

3) Tune the basics so your body has a fighting chance

None of this is glamorous, but it’s elderware in the deepest sense—tools that respect the stories our bodies are telling.

• Hydration, rest, and gentle movement: every clinician says it because it matters for lungs and circulation.
• Manage underlying conditions (asthma, COPD, diabetes, heart disease) tightly through winter. Viruses love a destabilized baseline.
• Humidify wisely: cool-mist humidifiers to keep indoor relative humidity in a comfortable mid-range can make airways less cranky; keep them clean to avoid creating new problems.
• Masking during surges or when you’re run-down: think of it like a scarf for your immune system—situational, practical, no shame in it.

4) Organize care like a neighborhood, not a battleground

Elders do better in community than in isolation. So let’s build practices that make care easy to accept.

• Home “respiratory kits”: thermometer, oximeter, a few quality masks, rapid tests, electrolyte packets, and a notecard with meds, allergies, and clinician numbers.
• Standing agreements with primary care about same-day telehealth when respiratory symptoms appear.
• Mutual-aid check-ins: neighbor or congregant calls twice on Day 1, once on Days 2–5. If the person stops answering, someone knocks.
• Clean-air rooms in community sites: designate one well-ventilated, HEPA-equipped room for small gatherings of immunocompromised or high-risk elders during peak weeks. Use the ASHRAE 241 framework to document what you’ve done; post it so folks can trust the space. ASHRAE

5) Know the “cold” that isn’t simple

When an elder says, “It’s just a cold,” hear a request for attention. Rhinoviruses cause most colds, and while many pass uneventfully, older bodies are more prone to complications. Don’t hesitate to call a clinician if breathing worsens, confusion appears, or a cough sticks around and deepens—classic flags for pneumonia. CDC’s materials reinforce that colds can lead to hospitalization or death in higher-risk groups, and that pneumonia risk rises with age. CDC+1

And keep RSV on your radar. If your “cold” brings wheezing, low oxygen, or you’ve got COPD or heart failure, get checked early—RSV in elders sends thousands to the hospital each year, with substantial shares in the 75+ group. CDC

For families and policymakers: dignity looks like access

A progressive eldercare stance isn’t only about sermons; it’s about infrastructure. Here’s what I want from systems big and small:

• Default clean-air standards in senior housing, clinics, libraries, and transit—ASHRAE 241 gives you the knobs to turn and the metrics to post. Don’t wait for a new pandemic to build the capacity. ASHRAE
• Rapid access to antivirals for elders—no maze, no shame. Pharmacies and clinics should advertise same-day evaluation for respiratory symptoms all winter. Prompt treatment saves complications. CDC
• Paid sick leave for caregivers. If your home-health aide can’t afford to stay home sick, the virus will keep punching through our front doors.
• Transportation that doesn’t force sick elders to sit in crowded rooms—mobile visits, curbside testing, and telehealth.
• Plain-language guidance: When do I mask? How do I set up a HEPA? What number do I call when my fever spikes at 10pm? Put it on one page, on paper, at every senior center.

Closing the circle

In story work, we talk about walking through a lived experience and discovering the meaning on the far side. That lived experience for so many of us this winter is a couch, a kettle, a kleenex box, a pile o' pills/syrups/chloroseptic spritzers near by. The meaning is not that we must become fragile or afraid. It’s that we’re allowed to be mortal and still insist on joy—and we can build the conditions for that joy: safer air, quicker care, kinder systems, and neighbors who knock.

I’m not shy about mortality. I’ve been the memorial coordinator and estate manager for people I love and sat vigil in hospitals, homes and hospice centers for a few. The numbers above aren’t there to scare us; they’re there to help us aim—to spend our limited time and attention where it lowers risk the most. Get your shots, absolutely. And then add the layers: cleaner air, faster treatment, steadier community — technology and tenderness braided together.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, the broth is simmering. I have to put my money where my mouth is and get myself that HEPA air filter (here's the one I'm looking at), and go back to the couch lay around and binge watch more streaming media (although I loved Rachel Maddow's Burn Order as well). We’ll greet the new year with gratitude, a touch of grit, and chicken soup whenever possible.

Sources (selected): Older adults carry 70–85% of flu deaths and 50–70% of hospitalizations; prompt antivirals recommended for 65+; and general risk framing for elders. CDC+1

Mortality rates for flu/pneumonia among 65+ (pre-COVID baseline): 93.2 per 100,000 (and 377.6 per 100,000 for 85+). CDC Blogs+1

RSV in older adults: severe outcomes and burden concentrated 75+. CDC+1

Colds/rhinovirus in elders: can be serious in high-risk groups; colds can lead to hospitalization/death in older adults. CDC+1

Cleaner indoor air works: HEPA & masking reduce exposure; ventilation/filtration standard for higher-risk periods; EPA confirms filtration reduces airborne viruses