Every November, we recognize National Family Caregivers Month—a time to shine the spotlight on the millions of people who step up for their loved ones in ways both big and small. Caregivers are the quiet heroes who manage doctor’s appointments, coordinate medications, provide companionship, and often keep entire households running. 

If you’re in your 40s, 50s, or beyond, chances are you either are a caregiver now, have been one, or will be one at some point. For many women in midlife—already navigating perimenopause or menopause—caregiving often becomes another hat to wear. And while it can be meaningful and rewarding, it can also be challenging. 

Who We’re Celebrating This Month 

National Family Caregivers Month is about honoring the daughters, sisters, partners, friends, and neighbors who step in when someone needs care. According to a recent study, more than 38 million people in the U.S. provide unpaid care to family members, and the majority of them are women. 

These women often put their own lives on hold—juggling careers, families, and personal health while making sure their loved ones are safe and supported. This month reminds us that caregivers deserve more than a thank-you. They deserve resources, recognition, and real support. 

The Disproportionate Burden on Women

Let’s be honest: caregiving falls heavily on women’s shoulders. Studies show that women are more likely to cut back work hours, shift careers, or even leave jobs entirely to care for parents, partners, or grandchildren. That doesn’t just affect today—it impacts long-term financial security, retirement savings, and mental health. 

And it’s not only about logistics. Caregiving can bring feelings of guilt, stress, or exhaustion. Layer that with hot flashes, fatigue, or brain fog from menopause, and it’s easy to feel tired and overwhelmed. 

But here’s the thing: you can’t pour from an empty cup. Which is why this month is also about encouraging caregivers—especially women in midlife—to care for themselves, too. 

Practical Ways to Protect Your Well-Being 

Here are a few simple strategies that can help you stay balanced and practice self-care while caring for others: 

• Set realistic boundaries: It’s okay to admit you can’t do everything. Let go of guilt and say “no” when you need to. 
   

• Share the load: Ask siblings, friends, or community members to pitch in. Caregiving should be a team effort, not a solo job. 
   

• Take breaks (without apology): Even short respites—like reading a book, taking a walk, or meeting a friend for coffee—can make a huge difference. 
   

• Keep up with your own health: Don’t skip your check-ups, movement, or rest. Your well-being matters just as much as your loved one’s. 
   

• Find your people: Join a caregiver support group (online or local). Sometimes just talking to someone who “gets it” is the best medicine. 
   

Finding the Bright Spots 

IYes, caregiving is hard. But it can also bring unexpected gifts. Many women find that it strengthens bonds, deepens empathy, and helps them rediscover what truly matters. 

Whether it’s laughing with a parent over old stories, finding new ways to connect with a partner, or showing grandkids what resilience looks like—you may discover small moments of joy in the midst of challenge. 

Resources That Can Help 

You don’t have to figure this out alone. There are great organizations ready to support you: 

• Family Caregiver Alliance (caregiver.org) – Practical resources and education. 
   

• AARP Caregiving Resource Center (aarp.org/caregiving) – Tools and guidance for family caregivers. 
   

• National Alliance for Caregiving (caregiving.org) – Advocacy and information. 
   

• Eldercare Locator (eldercare.acl.gov) – Connects you with local services in your area. 
   

This National Family Caregivers Month, take a moment to honor yourself—or the caregivers in your life. The role you play is vital. But remember: your well-being matters, too. 

Caregiving is not just about giving; it’s also about receiving love, support, and connection. This November, let’s celebrate caregivers not just for what they do, but for who they are: strong, compassionate, and worthy of care themselves. 

Immunizations—from infancy through adulthood—are essential to your health, disease prevention, and public safety. All current scientific evidence demonstrates that receiving a vaccination is safer than contracting a disease and treating it. 

Vaccines train your body to protect itself. 

An immunization teaches your body to defend itself against a specific disease without actually causing the illness and its consequences. 

Every vaccine contains a bit of the organism that causes the disease. It might be a protein, sugar, or weakened version of the bacteria or virus. When introduced to the body, the immune system detects these as harmful and dangerous foreign substances, called antigens, and quickly begins to produce antibodies. Antibodies are special Y-shaped proteins that learn to remember, detect, and destroy the antigens.  

But wait—there’s more! 

Besides proactively avoiding infection, adult immunizations have several benefits: 

1. Avoiding complications from a disease. Examples: vision loss or persistent pain from shingles; pneumonia from measles or flu. 

2. Protecting from worsening chronic health conditions, like diabetes or heart disease, if COVID-19, flu, or RSV develops. 

3. Eliminating or reducing expenses related to vaccine-preventable diseases, including hospitalization, medical appointments, prescriptions, treatments, and lost wages. 

4. Guarding vulnerable members of the community who have compromised immune systems. Infants, the elderly, cancer patients, and people who are too sick to be immunized rely on protection from those who are vaccinated. 

5. Saving lives around the world, resulting in unequaled health equity. Over the last 50 years, the measles vaccine alone has saved almost 94 million lives. 

Myths about immunizations 

Although rigorous scientific method is always used to research and develop every vaccine, and continue to study its effectiveness, misconceptions continue to surface. You may have encountered one or more of these myths: 

Myth: MMR vaccine causes autism. 
Fact: In 1998, a small English study of 12 children (8 with autism) presented false data concluding that receiving the MMR vaccine led to what is now called Autism Spectrum Disorder. The paper was subsequently retracted and later research with large groups showed no connection between MMR immunization and diagnosis of autism. 

Myth: Vaccines contain harmful ingredients. 
Fact: Any additives to vaccines are at a lower dose than found in the natural environment. One example is aluminum, the third most abundant element in the environment. It’s found in water, air, soil, plants, and throughout the food chain. In vaccines, it boosts the immune system’s response to antigens. A second example is thimerosal, a compound that contains a form of mercury, used to preserve vials of influenza vaccine. Although there is no evidence that it causes harm, as of 2025 no U.S. vaccines contain thimerosal or mercury. 

Myth: A COVID-19 immunization can change my DNA. 
Fact: FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines use mRNA (“messenger” RNA) as a template to produce virus proteins that cause the immune system to create antibodies to fight the virus. mRNA simply carries instructions for making antibodies from the cell’s nucleus to the place in the cell where the proteins are made; the DNA is never compromised or altered.  

Immunization schedule for adults 

Vaccinations don’t end with childhood. It’s important for your health and quality of life to maintain your protection with regular immunizations. As we get older, we can become more susceptible to diseases such as pneumonia, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and shingles. Grandparents and adults who are around infants should be current with their whooping cough (pertussis) immunizations to protect babies from this highly contagious disease before they begin the TDaP series at 2 months. 

Recommended vaccinations for all adults 19 years and older: 

• COVID-19: 1 or more doses of 2024-2025 vaccine, depending on age 

• Influenza: 1 dose annually 

• RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus): 1 dose 
  -If pregnant during RSV season 
  -Ages 50 to 75+ 

• Tdap/Td (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis)/(Tetanus, pertussis):  
  -Tdap every pregnancy 
  -Tdap/Td booster every 10 years 

• MMR (Measles, mumps, rubella): 
  -Born after 1957, without proof of immunity: 1 dose 

• Chickenpox (Varicella): 
  -Not given during pregnancy, postpartum, or nursing. 
  -90% of adults are immune due to having the disease as children. 
  -Varicella vaccination became routine in 1995. 

• Herpes zoster (Shingles): 2 doses 
  -Ages 50+  

A word about vaccinations in the current political administration 

Following the 2024 election, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Despite existing medical advice from health officials and biosecurity experts, Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist without medical training, has restricted recommendations for COVID-19 immunizations; defunded technology necessary for developing mRNA vaccines for future pandemics; redirected funds toward “alternative” vaccines; and replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) with individuals who reflect his personal skepticism about vaccine safety and efficacy. 

Public health authorities have expressed concern about the changes, citing potential for reduced immunization rates, outbreaks of preventable diseases, and lack of public trust in long-established scientific processes. 

Sources: 

Adult Immunization Schedule by Age (Addendum updated August 7, 2025.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed online 20 August 2025. 

Banhawi H et al. The Socio-Economic Value of Adult immunization Programmes. Office of Health Economics, London, England. April 2024. Accessed online 20 August 2025. 

Beyrer C. The Long History of mRNA Vaccines. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 6 October 2021. Accessed online 21 August 2025. 

Common Vaccine Concerns and Myths. Missouri Medicine/National Library of Medicine/National Center for Biotechnology Information. Sep-Oct 2021. Accessed online 17 August 2025. 

Do L, Mulholland K. Measles 2025. New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 393, Issue 7. 25 June 2025. Accessed online 18 August 2025. 

Explaining How Vaccines Work. Vaccines and Immunizations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 August 2024. Accessed online 17 August 2025. 

Gidengil C, Goetz MB, Maglione M, et al. Safety of Vaccines Used for Routine Immunization in the United States: An Update. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US), May 2021. National Library of Medicine/National Center for Biotechnology Information. Accessed online 20 August 2025. 

Ginglen J, Doyle M. Immunization. StatPearls/National Library of Medicine/National Center for Biotechnology Information. 7 February 2023. Accessed online 17 August 2025. 

Global immunization efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years. Press release, World Health Organization, 24 April 2024. Accessed online 16 August 2025. 

Haelle T. The Staggering Success of Vaccines. Nature. 23 October 2024. Accessed online 21 August 2025. 

How Vaccines are Developed and Approved for Use. Vaccines and Immunizations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 August 2024. Accessed online 18 August 2025. 

Murthy N et al, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule, United States, 2022. Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol.175, Issue 3. March 2022. Accessed online 17 August 2025. 

U.S. Vaccine Names. Vaccines and Immunizations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 June 2025. Accessed online 16 August 2025. 

Geoghegan S, O’Callaghan K, Offit P. Vaccine Safety: Myths and Misinformation. Frontiers in Microbiology, 17 March 2020. Accessed online 20 August 2025. 

Vaccines and Diabetes/Why Vaccines Are Good for your Heart. National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD. Updated July 2025. Accessed online 20 August 2025. 

World Health Organization, Geneva Switzerland. A Brief History of Vaccination. Accessed online 16 August 2025. 

Yang, YT. The perils of RFK Junior’s anti-vaccine leadership for public health. The Lancet, Vol. 405, Issue 10473, 11 January 2025. Accessed online 17 August 2025.