Effects of Nurse and Care Worker-led Foot-Care Program on Older People’s Foot Conditions: Before and After Intervention Study

Abstract

Introduction An increasing number of older people with frailty in Japan use geriatric day care centers. Older people who have been certified as requiring long-term care attend centers during the day and receive nursing care help with bathing, excretion, meals, and functional training services. Many older people have foot problems with need foot care by nurses and care workers (NCWs) at geriatric day care centers. Objective This study explored the effects of NCWs’ foot-care programs on the foot conditions of older people attending daytime services. Methods A before-after intervention study was conducted at geriatric day care centers for older people, where the foot-care program was presented by NCWs for two months. The foot conditions of 23 clients (8 men, 15 women, mean age = 78.6 years, standard deviation = 9.2) were assessed before and after the program. Changes in foot condition and clients’ perceptions after the study were analyzed through descriptive statistics, McNemar, and paired t-tests. Results Although dramatic changes in foot conditions were not observed, some conditions were improved or maintained. Changes were observed in mean dry skin scores ( p < .01; right foot: 1.6→1.1, left foot: 1.6→1.1), skin lesions and long nails (skin lesions R: 0.2→0.1; long nail R: 1.4→1.0, L: 1.1→0.8), and edema (R: 43.5%→39.1%, L: 52.2%→47.8%). Further, clients started perceiving that foot health is important and discussed their feet with staff more often. Conclusion The NCWs’ foot-care program was effective in maintaining and improving foot health in older people and positively affected their perception of foot care.

Foot Problems and Their Associations with Toe Grip Strength and Walking Speed in Community-Dwelling Older Individuals Using Day Services: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Arch deformities cause a decline in the range of motion, a change in the plantar loading pattern, and postural stability [ 66 , 67 ], causing impaired balance due to floating toes. Aging can be considered a key factor in changing foot shapes [ 68 , 69 , 70 ] and declining toe grip strength [ 18 , 71 ].…”

“…We used assessment methods and three types of measuring devices to obtain foot data on structural and functional aspects, as follows: a Foot Look ( Figure 1 ), a toe grip machine ( Figure 2 ), and a thermometer. The main author developed a two-page recording sheet based on previous studies to record data on the study items [ 18 , 39 ]. The recording sheets were evaluated by two independent researchers before data collection.…”

“…Given that the frequency of falls is high in Japan, foot problems should be seriously considered. However, awareness about the impact of foot problems on the older population in Japan is lacking [ 17 , 18 ].…”