Caring for the people we love also means remembering to care for ourselves.

Every October, pink ribbons remind us to talk about breast cancer.

But awareness needs to go beyond wearing pink.

It means understanding our individual risk, knowing our bodies, keeping up with appropriate screenings, and having conversations with our healthcare providers about what prevention and early detection should look like at every stage of life.

For those of us caring for aging parents, spouses, or other loved ones, October is also an important reminder of something that can easily get lost along the way:

Your health still matters, too.

Breast Cancer and Aging

Breast cancer is often discussed as a women’s health issue, but it is also an aging issue.

Age is one of the most important risk factors for breast cancer, and most breast cancers are diagnosed in women over age 50.

That makes continued conversations about breast health especially important as we age.

Screening recommendations aren’t necessarily the same for everyone. Age, overall health, family history, previous screenings, genetics, and personal risk factors can all influence what a healthcare provider recommends.

Rather than assuming you’re too young—or too old—to think about screening, talk with your healthcare provider about what is appropriate for you.

Know What Is Normal for You

A mammogram is an important screening tool, but awareness also means paying attention to changes in your body.

A new lump or thickening, changes in the size or shape of a breast, skin changes, nipple changes or discharge, or persistent changes that simply don’t feel normal to you are all reasons to contact a healthcare provider.

Not every change means cancer.

But noticing something and asking about it is always better than ignoring it because you’re busy caring for everyone else.

Caregivers, This Reminder Is for You Too

I work with families every day who are incredibly focused on the wellbeing of someone they love.

They’re coordinating appointments.

Managing medications.

Checking in on Mom.

Driving Dad to therapy.

Helping a spouse navigate a diagnosis.

Researching care options.

And somewhere in the middle of caring for everyone else, their own appointments quietly move further down the list.

Caregiving shouldn’t require disappearing from your own healthcare.

If you’ve been putting off your annual physical, mammogram, or another recommended screening because life has been too busy, consider this your reminder to put yourself back on the calendar.

Preventive care isn’t selfish.

Taking care of yourself allows you to continue showing up for the people who depend on you—and gives the people who love you the opportunity to have you healthy and present in their lives, too.

Start the Conversation

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is also a wonderful opportunity to talk with the women in your family.

Do you know your family’s history of breast or ovarian cancer?

Does your mother know hers?

What about your daughters, sisters, aunts, and granddaughters?

Family health history can provide important information that helps healthcare providers understand individual risk and determine whether additional screening or genetic counseling should be considered.

These conversations may even provide information that benefits generations of your family.

Awareness Should Lead to Action

We can’t control every aspect of our health.

But we can become informed.

We can pay attention to our bodies.

We can ask questions.

We can keep recommended appointments.

We can encourage the people we love to do the same.

And we can make sure that while we’re caring for aging parents, spouses, children, and everyone else who depends on us, we don’t forget to care for the person in the mirror.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, don’t stop at awareness.

Ask the question. Schedule the appointment. Have the conversation. And remind someone you love to do the same. 🩷