Health - Outreach - prevention - empowerment

Why is Foot Care Important?

Foot care is a commonly overlooked section of hygiene, but one that is crucial to a person's health. Without our feet, we cannot walk anywhere, right? We need them for balance, movement, etc. Feet are also a window to our health. Things such as if they smell bad, what our toenails look like, if there are calluses, or corns, can tell healthcare professionals a lot about a persons health and hygiene. Feet also show a lot of symptoms of different health conditions. For example: swollen feet can be a sign of heart failure, tingling and pain can be a sign of diabetes, pain in general can show arthritis, nail infections and color can be a symptom of immune disorders. All of these reasons make foot care a crucial part of a person's health, therefore Project H.O.P.E runs a foot clinic once a month to help people in the community get their feet looked at by health professionals, especially if they cannot take care of themselves, or just need a little help. 

Hygiene Tips:

First, what do we do at the foot clinic? We start by taking a person's health history and having them remove their shoes and socks. Then a volunteer who is a healthcare professional scrubs their feet and washes them completely, while running a basic physical assessment and talking to the guest about their health. Then, once the feet are washed and dried, our podiatrist will come around and cut their nails, and look at any concerns the guest has. We then give them our teaching tool, a fruit, water, and a new pair of socks and send them on their way. 

At Home Care:

-Wash and scrub feet when showering/bathing

-Put lotion on feet, but not in between toes!

-Cut nails regularly!

-Change socks daily

-Wear footwear that fits

-Clean underneath toenails