Page 34 - BusinessWest September 4, 2023

BUSINESS OF AGING >>
Before the Fall
FootCare by Nurses Focuses on Preventive Care, Quality of Life
BY JOSEPH BEDNAR
[email protected]
Early in Kate Clayton-Jones’s nursing career, she was struck by the cost — both financial and personal — of neglecting preventive care.
Specifically, of the feet.
“I kept seeing a whole bunch of people getting their feet amputated or having surgeries for having fallen,” she said, “and I thought, ‘my God, this is just so preventable.’”
That thought eventually (after plenty of planning, training, and persistence) became FootCare by Nurses, a model for preventive foot care that meets clients — mostly older people — where they are, especially in their homes.
“This isn’t nursing care like, ‘let me come in every day and feed you, clothe you, whatever else,’ but nursing care that could come
“It can be as simple as showing someone how to lace their shoes. We have an opportunity to spend time with people to helpthemunderstand simple changes like the way their shoes and socks fit, and skin care.”
episodically, once a month, or once every other month, and do this much-needed work, which is taking care of the feet of older adults.”
She explained that her nurses sit on the floor and look for circula- tion problems, sores, and calluses, and release tension in the toes that can limit flexibility and lead to falls. They also check the fit and lacing of shoes and make recommenda- tionsaboutsocks.“Allourworkis designed to improve quality of life. This is an alternative pathway for foot care from typical podiatry or nail salons that most people know.”
For those who would prefer a clinic to a home visit, FootCare by Nurses also has offices in Green- field, Lenox, and Fitchburg.
“It can be as simple as showing someone how to lace their shoes. We have an opportunity to spend
time with people to help them understand simple changes like the way their shoes and socks fit, and skin care. We do a lot with bal- ance and trip hazards,” Clayton-Jones explained.
“Elders are getting touched, and they’re having meaningful conversations. The work we do restores dignity and quality of life. Because we come in as nurses, we can talk about other things as well, and we see them on a regular basis, not just when they have an acute incident.”
While podiatrists are medical doctors whose responsibility is
to diagnose and fix problems — recommending treatments and performing procedures — she and her team are licensed nurses with extensive training in foot care, whose responsibility is to pre- vent problems from happening in the first place. And there is some
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