Healthy feet contribute a lot to a senior’s independence, safety, and health. Problems with a senior’s feet, aside from causing mobility difficulties and increase their risk of falling, are also warning signs of more serious medical conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, poor blood circulation, or nerves damages.

It’s important to keep a senior’s feel healthy so they can stay active and enjoy life to the fullest. Here are some simple daily foot care tips that can help to prevent foot problems for your seniors.

Regular Feet Checks

Don’t wait until they complain that their feet are hurting. Take a few minutes every day to help them look for cuts, discoloration, bumps, blisters, bruises, sores, infected toenails, or swelling. If you notice anything strange with your senior’s feet, take them to see a doctor as soon as possible.

If you don’t live together or near your senior, remind them to check their feet regularly. If bending over is a problem for your senior, suggest them to use a mirror for the task. Asking a caregiver to help with this regular inspections is a good idea as seniors might overlook some foot problems due to worsened eyesight and flexibility.

Clean Feet Everyday

Remind your seniors to wash their feet everyday with warm water & antibacterial soap. Remember to take special care to wash between the toes. Refrain from soaking the feet for longer than 10 minutes or the skin will get dry & cracked. Finish off by drying well between toes to keep fungal & bacterial infections at bay.

Don’t forget about the toenails! Make sure that your senior’s toenails are cut or filed regularly with appropriate nail care tools. Trim the toenails straight across, and never shorter than the end of the toe.

Keep Feet Soft & Smooth With Lotion

If the senior’s feet are dry or cracked, apply some unscented lotion or cream on the tops & bottoms of their feet to put the moisture back in it. Don’t apply the moisturiser between your toes and wipe off any excess to prevent damp feet which can leads to infections like fungal toenails or Athlete’s foot. If your senior’s feet sweat a lot, recommend talcum to them.

When choosing the moisturiser for your senior’s feet, choose a formula that works for your senior’s skin, quick to absorb and not greasy, and ask your seniors to avoid moving around too much in bare feet after applying lotion to prevent slip and fall.

Wear Safe Footwear

Foot problems can be caused by ill-fitted shoes that provides zero support and extra grip on the ground, so make sure that your senior’s shoes are proper & comfortable.

Socks can help keep the feet dry, and also can keep your senior warm if they have cold feet. Ask your senior to start wearing socks and make sure that they’re wearing a clean pair every day. Avoid socks with tight elastic at the top or ridges as they can irritate or restrict blood circulation.

Be Active!

Seniors can maintain good circulation in their feet, ankles, and legs by walking or perform simple foot exercises on a daily basis. Examples of foot exercises are moving toes up and down, pick up things with toes, rotate ankles in circles, etc.

Thanks for reading through this Blog, I hope you have found it useful. If you require any further assistance please feel free to contact the office.

Kind regards,

Suzanne McLoughlin
Owner of Home Instead Senior Care Outer East

P.S. We provide free Care Consultations and resource guides to support and guide families. Download your free copies from our Aged Care Resources page or Request a Free Information Pack to receive a hard copy.