Jenna Bartley, Ph.D., Geriatrics Researcher at UConn Health, asks could a supplement to a flu shot help give older adults better protection against infection? Like many things as we age, our immune system doesn’t work as well as it did during our younger years. When it comes to influenza, that’s a double-whammy for older adults. Not only can the flu lead to more complications when we’re older, but we’re also more susceptible to it, even with a flu shot.