Geriatric Foot Care
Routine feet care is very important in staying healthy and mobile. Seeing your foot specialist at least every 60 days is important to ensure existing and potential problems are corrected and prevented.
Problems with our feet can be the first sign of more serious medical conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and nerve and circulatory disorders.
Here are some feet care tips for older people:
- Check your feet daily
- Stretching and walking is a good way to keep your blood circulating
- Avoid shoes that hurt
- Quit smoking – Smoking decreases blood supply and increases the chance of swelling and other circulatory problems
Athlete’s Foot, also known as tinea pedis, is a skin disease caused by a foot fungus that usually occurs between the toes. The fungus attacks the feet because shoes create a warm, dark, and humid environment that encourages fungus growth. Warm, damp areas around swimming pools, showers, and locker rooms, are also breeding grounds for fungi.
Symptoms of Athlete’s Foot include drying skin, itching, scaling, inflammation, and blisters on and between the toes. This condition can spread to the soles of the feet and to the toenails as well as other parts of the body, which is why timely Athlete’s Foot treatment is so important.
You can prevent Athlete’s Foot by:
- Not walking barefoot, particularly in public pools and locker rooms.
- Reducing foot perspiration by using talcum powder.
- Wearing light and airy shoes.
- Wearing socks that keep your feet dry, and changing them frequently if you perspire heavily
