Some medications, vitamins, and nutrients are administered through injections because aside from IV Therapy, they offer fast and maximum absorption. Vaccines, for instance, are injected to protect us from harmful diseases, and although there are oral vaccines available, injecting vaccines in the muscles is still highly advisable because they contain immune cells that can quickly recognize antigens and a significant percentage of the vaccine won’t be wasted because it won’t undergo the body’s normal digestion process.

Seniors who need to undergo vaccinations may find it difficult to adhere if they have Trypanophobia or the extreme and irrational fear of injections or needles. Even before it was recognized as a phobia by the DSM-V, 10% of the population already experienced this. However, just like any other phobia, Trypanophobia can be treated by therapy such as:

• Hypnotherapy. A mind-body intervention that employs hypnosis to reset our mind to a specific situation we were in before the phobia is triggered to produce a rational response.
• Neuro-Linguistic Programming. A pseudoscientific approach to communication utilizing both neurology and linguistics to overcome fear. By properly dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression, this fear can dissociate which begets rational response.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). A psychotherapeutic treatment involves the identification and changing of destructive and disturbing thoughts to eradicate irrational fears and negative behaviors.

Aside from the above-mentioned therapy, support from family members and elderly care provided by skilled nurses before administering injectable medications will help.

Allied Home Health, your provider of home health in Houston, Texas, has certified nurse aids to accompany your loved ones during therapy and registered nurses to carefully administer injectable medications as soon as they overcome their phobia.

Visit our skilled nursing facility in Texas to get started!