At some point in our lives, we move into the mode of not just having to look out for our own health but also for that of our parents.

I think those of us who feel this obligation have been nicknamed the "Sandwich Generation." If you now have graduated to being a Sandwich Generationer®, the month of May, when we remember our mothers, is the ideal time to discuss the importance of breast health with her. Here are some ways to show her you care:

• Encourage Mom to get her annual mammogram by arranging a mother-daughter day! Go get her mammogram done in the morning (yours, too, if you are due soon and age 40 or older) and afterwards go out to lunch or afternoon tea.
• Be Mom's breast buddy. Call her monthly to remind her to perform her breast self-exam. It should be done 7-10 days after the start of the menstrual period or on the same day each month for postmenopausal women.
• Make sure Mom has a shower card in the bathroom — you know, the one that lists and illustrates the breast self-exam instructions on it. (And make sure you have one, too!) You can get them from the American Cancer Society or from Komen for the Cure.
• Offer to verify that the mammography facility where she goes for her annual mammogram meets all requirements set forth by the federal Mammography Quality Standards Act (MSQA). The MSQA certificate should be posted at the entrance to the breast-imaging facility. If the facility is new for Mom, then it's perfectly appropriate to call the facility's administration office to verify they meet the standards.
• Accompany her to her annual check-ups with her primary care physician and gynecologist, and remind her to make sure her doctors perform a clinical breast exam. (Yes, sadly, it's something you have to remind some doctors to do.)
• If Mom is a smoker, help her kick the habit. 
• Help her stay active; it's another way to reduce her breast cancer risk. Talk to her about enrolling in an exercise program or offer to go power walking with her twice a week at the shopping mall or around her neighborhood when the weather is nice.

She will value your taking the time to make sure that her breast health is maintained. You can tell her, "Well, Mom, I'm simply following your good motherly advice!"