Ticks and the Risk of Lyme Disease in Older Adults: How to Protect Yourself and Act Correctly

With climate change and the temperature fluctuations seen in recent times, ticks have once again become a major concern for infectious disease specialists. These arthropods pose a serious threat, particularly to elderly people who spend time in gardens or vegetated areas and may be more vulnerable to tick-borne infections.

Infectious disease specialists stress that the risk of borreliosis — a bacterial infection transmitted through tick bites — is real and must not be overlooked. Although not every tick bite necessarily leads to the development of this disease, the consequences can be severe, including neurological complications affecting both the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The biggest problem identified by doctors is the incorrect way in which people attempt to remove ticks. Many resort to improvised and dangerous methods, applying oil, alcohol, petrol, or other substances to the embedded tick, or try to extract it by pressing the surrounding skin. These practices can cause the tick to regurgitate the contents of its stomach into the wound, dramatically increasing the risk of infection.

How to remove a tick correctly

The correct method of tick removal involves using fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible, then pulling it out slowly and steadily, without any twisting motion. After removal, the area should be carefully disinfected and the tick kept in a container for possible later analysis.

For elderly people, it is particularly important to monitor the bite site closely over the following weeks. The appearance of an expanding red rash (erythema migrans), fever, joint pain, or neurological symptoms should prompt an urgent visit to a doctor. Older adults with a compromised immune system or chronic conditions are at greater risk of serious complications.

Prevention remains the most effective means of protection. Specialists recommend wearing long-sleeved tops and long trousers when venturing into nature, using insect repellent, and carefully checking the body after any activity in areas with tall vegetation.

In the case of elderly people living in care homes or residential centres with gardens, care staff must be educated about these risks and carry out regular checks — especially during the period of peak tick activity, which typically runs from late spring through to late autumn.