The 10 men of Villa conceded two goals in the final six minutes as they lost 2-1 at home to Tottenham last week - extending their losing streak to six games.
Villa's six consecutive league defeats is the club's worst run of results since 1963, when they lost 11 games on the bounce between March and May in Division One.
And Vlaar - who is rumoured to be the subject of interest from Manchester United - is desperate to stop the rut against West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday.
"All the players are well aware that we need to do better and start picking up points," the Dutchman said.
"It's still relatively early in the season but the last thing we want is to spend another winter looking over our shoulders towards the bottom of the Premier League table.
"I can certainly appreciate how Villa supporters must be feeling because the players feel exactly the same.
"But I'm convinced that one good result will give us the confidence to put a decent run of games together and start climbing."
