Shingles, Pain and the Vaccine

Duncaster is hosting a program about shingles, pain and the vaccine to cope with these issues. The discussion will be held on Thursday, September 20 at 3 p.m. It is a part of Duncaster’s monthly series, “The Art and Science of Graceful Aging.” This program will take place on Duncaster’s campus, located at 40 Loeffler Road. The event is open to the public, however pre-registration is required.

Susan Woodson, PA-C is a Certified Physician Assistant from the Hartford Hospital Pain Treatment Center who will lead the discussion. Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash and is produced by the chickenpox virus (herpes zoster). A complication of the disease is Post-herpetic Neuralgia, a burning pain that remains after the Shingles rash and blisters disappear. The herpes zoster vaccine has been shown to greatly decrease the risk of Shingles and is recommended for older adults by the FDA.

Almost 1 out of every 3 people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetimes. There are an estimated 1 million cases of shingles each year in this country.

To register for the program, contact Fran Kent at (860) 380-5006 or fKent@Duncaster.org.