Foot Care Tips

Good foot care requires common sense and an understanding of what to look for.

• Every day wash your feet gently in lukewarm water to avoid injury to the skin.
• Check the temperature of the water with your wrist or elbow before putting your feet in. This can prevent burns from water that is too hot.
• Never soak your foot for more than 10 minutes to avoid excessive dryness of the skin.
• Pat, do not rub, your foot dry. Be especially careful to dry between and under the toes otherwise the skin may break down allowing bacteria to enter.
• Use a soft towel.
• For dry skin, use a lanolin cream sparingly. For moist skin, dust lightly with talcum powder. Remove excess lotion or powder from between the toes to avoid skin breakdown.
• Check around the nails, between and under the toes, and the bottom and top of the foot for cuts, cracks, swelling, bruises, blisters, temperature changes, i.e. hot spots, tenderness and color changes (red, white or blue).
• Use a hand mirror or have someone help you check your feet.
• Check feet daily in good light to control problems early.
• If you find a minor injury, wash it with soapy water and cover it with a dry dressing. Change the dressing and check the injury daily. Do not use Iodine or strong antiseptics. They can be irritating to the skin and the colour of the iodine may hide any signs of infection (redness) that may occur.
• Contact your doctor immediately if any part of your foot or leg turns dark blue or black in colour or in an injury does not heal or becomes infected. An injury that is infected may be painful, red, swollen, hot, and my ooze pus.
• If you develop corns or callouses, soften them by soaking your feet daily in lukewarm water for 10 minutes. Then rub your corns or callouses gently for a few minutes with a pumice stone to remove the dead skin.
• If your corns or callouses are a particular problem, or if you have thick, cracked, or deformed nails, consult your doctor or a foot doctor (podiatrist).
• If your toe-mails are thin and soft, cut them with a nail clipper or scissors, after a bath. The bath will help to soften your toe-nails.
• Make sure that there is plenty of light so that you can clearly see what you are doing.
• Always cut your toe-nails straight across and never shorter than the end of the toe.

Foot Care Tips

• File any rough edges of the nail with an emery board, not a metal nail file.
• Don’t walk barefoot.
• Wear comfortable well fitting shoes or slippers with a sole.
• Don’t wear shoes or slippers with torn or rough linings or bare seams.
• Wear clean socks and hose changing them daily.
• Wear only wool or cotton socks and make sure that they fit well.
• Don’t wear socks with holes or socks that have been darned. 

Dignity Home Care provides professional foot care/foot massage services to seniors in BC. Please contact us at 604-569-0505.

Diabetes Needs Better Foot Care

The statistics are impressive. People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to have a leg amputated than those without the condition, according to the International Diabetes Federation. Worldwide, up to 70 percent of all leg amputations happen to people with diabetes. Somewhere in the world, a leg is lost to diabetes every 30 seconds.

The good news is that up to 85 percent of diabetic amputations can be prevented.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in partnership with the International Diabetes Federation, is using this year’s World Diabetes Day (Nov. 14) to raise awareness of the importance of good foot care, especially for people with diabetes.

Foot problems are among the most common complications of diabetes and, if not treated in time, can lead to severe consequences, including amputation. “Most people take their feet for granted,” “Most of us can get away with it, but people with diabetes really need to pay attention to their feet.”

The problem is rooted in the long-term effects of raised blood glucose levels. People with diabetes are at high risk of nerve damage and problems with the blood supply to their feet. Nerve damage makes it difficult to feel pain, and therefore injuries may go unnoticed. Poor blood supply can slow down the healing process for wounds. These problems can lead to foot ulcers, which, if they become infected, may ultimately lead to amputation.

“The message is that even if foot problems are painless, they can be very serious in people with diabetes,”

The International Diabetes Federation has developed a set of foot-care recommendations for people with diabetes. They include:

• Check feet daily for cuts, blisters, bruises or changes in color, swelling, and open sores. If you find anything, consult a health care provider.
• Protect feet with well-fitting shoes. Do not go barefoot, to avoid injuries.
• Check for rocks, sharp objects, and rough spots before putting on shoes.
• Buy new shoes late in the day, when feet tend to be more swollen.
• Wear clean socks every day; make sure they’re not too tight and have no holes.
• Wash feet with soap and water, including between your toes. Dry them carefully, especially between the toes.
• Cut toenails straight across and file any sharp edges.
• Get feet checked regularly by a health care professional.

Experts also say that people with diabetes should avoid pointy-toed shoes and high heels, use warm not hot water to wash their feet, avoid heaters and hot water bottles to warm the feet, avoid over-the-counter corn removers, and give up or don’t start smoking, which interferes with the supply of blood to the feet.

There are a number of warning signs people with diabetes can watch for, including:

• Swelling of the foot or ankle
• Very cold feet or legs
• Red, blue, or black discoloration
• Pain in legs while at rest or walking
• Open sores, no matter how small
• Wounds that won’t heal
• Ingrown toenails.

Dignity Home Care provides professional foot care and foot massage to improve the blood circulation on the feet to prevent complications from Diabetes.

Glucose Control – Diabetic Diet

Glucose Control – Diabetic Diet

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor has probably mentioned that you should pay careful attention to nutrition and diet as part of your treatment program. Nutrition experts say that there is no one diet for diabetes, but people with diabetes should follow the nutrition guidelines in the Food Pyramid, while paying special attention to carbohydrate intake. People with diabetes should also eat about the same amount of food at the same time each day to keep blood sugar levels stable.

Getting Started With Nutrition Treatment

If you’ve never attempted to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet before your diabetes diagnosis, it can be difficult to know where to get started. Try these tips from the American Dietetic Association:

Eat more starches such as bread, cereal, and starchy vegetables. Aim for six servings a day or more. For example, have cold cereal with nonfat milk or a bagel with a teaspoon of jelly for breakfast. Another starch-adding strategy is to add cooked black beans, corn or garbanzo beans to salads or casseroles.

Eat five fruits and vegetables every day. Have a piece of fruit or two as a snack, or add vegetables to chili, stir-fried dishes or stews. You can also pack raw vegetables for lunch or snacks.

Eat sugars and sweets in moderation. Include your favorite sweets in your diet once or twice a week at most. Split a dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth while reducing the sugar, fat and calories.

Soluble fibers are found mainly in fruits, vegetables and some seeds, and are especially good for people with diabetes because they help to slow down or reduce the absorption of glucose from the intestines. Legumes, such as cooked kidney beans, are among the highest soluble fiber foods. Other fiber-containing foods, such as carrots, also have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Insoluble fibers, found in bran, whole grains and nuts, act as intestinal scrubbers by cleaning out the lower gastrointestinal tract.

After a diabetes diagnosis, consider seeing a dietitian and developing a meal plan to get started. Taking into account your lifestyle, your medication, your weight and any medical conditions you may have in addition to diabetes as well as your favorite foods, the dietitian will help you create a diet that will prevent complications of diabetes and still give you the pleasure you’ve always had in eating. To find a health care professional, call Dignity Home Health Care at 604-569-0505.

A Healthier Weight and Lifestyle

Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is important for everyone with diabetes. Weight control is extremely important in treating type 2 diabetes because extra body fat makes it difficult for people with type 2 diabetes to make and use their own insulin. If you are overweight, losing just 10 to 20 pounds may improve your blood sugar control so much that you can stop taking or reduce your medication.

If you smoke and have been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor will recommend that you quit because smoking makes problems caused by diabetes worse. People with diabetes can experience blood flow problems in the legs and feet, which can sometimes lead to amputation. Smoking can decrease blood flow even more. Smoking can also worsen sexual impotence in men, cause high levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad type of cholesterol), and can raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. If you have diabetes and you smoke, you need to quit.

Although alcohol in small amounts can be fit into your meal plan if your blood sugar is under good control, drinking alcohol on an empty stomach can cause low blood sugar. Alcohol can contribute to complications of diabetes, so ask your doctor how much alcohol can be included in your meal plan and then stick to it.

Moderating Sugar, Fat and Carbohydrates

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you may have a lot of lifestyle changes to make. Does that mean you have to give up sugar, fat and carbohydrates forever?

The body breaks down different types of foods at different rates. Carbohydrates (be it potato or table sugar) typically take from five minutes to three hours to digest, whereas protein takes three to six hours and fat can take eight or more hours. That’s why different foods have different effects on blood sugar, such as why ice cream (higher in fat) raises blood sugar levels more slowly than potatoes. But people with diabetes don’t always have to forgo desserts and sweets. They just have to be sure not to eat moderate amounts more than once or twice a week.

To control carbohydrates, try a technique called carbohydrate counting. Carbohydrate counting means counting the total number of grams of carbohydrate you should eat at a meal or planned snack time based on your medication and exercise habits. Then you can choose how to meet those carbohydrate needs. You’ll probably use a carbohydrate counting book, which you can get at a supermarket or bookstore. If you want to learn how to count carbohydrates accurately, make an appointment with a dietitian or a diabetes educator.

Because people with diabetes are at higher risk for heart problems, it’s often recommended that they limit fat below 30 percent of total daily calories by eating less overall fat and less saturated fat. They also need to watch cholesterol, choose smaller portions of lean meats, poultry and fish, and low or non-fat dairy products. Because high-protein diets such as the Atkins diets are high in fat, they are not usually recommended for people with diabetes.

Remember that it will take a while to learn how to adjust to the changes in your diet and lifestyle after a diabetes diagnosis. With practice and help, you can have a satisfying diet and keep your blood sugar under control, too.

(http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/Diabetes/diet.asp)

Checklist to Minimize Fall Risk

Falls are the most frequent accident, and the leading cause of injury and death for seniors.  Please check the following tips to reduce falls in and outside your home.

Outside your home

• Paint the edges of outdoor steps and any steps that are especially narrow or are higher or lower than the rest.
• Paint outside stairs with a mixture of sand and paint for better traction. Keep outdoor walkways clear and well-lit.
• Clear snow and ice from entrances and sidewalks.

Inside your home

• Remove all extraneous clutter in your house.
• Keep telephone and electrical cords out of pathways.
• Tack rugs and glue vinyl flooring so they lie flat. Remove or replace rugs or runners that tend to slip, or attach nonslip backing.
• Ensure that carpets are firmly attached to the stairs.
• Do not stand on a chair to reach things. Store frequently used objects where you can reach them easily.

Keep a well-lit home

• Have a lamp or light switch that you can easily reach without getting out of bed.
• Use night lights in the bedroom, bathroom and hallways.
• Keep a flashlight handy.
• Have light switches at both ends of stairs and halls. Install handrails on both sides of stairs.
• Turn on the lights when you go into the house at night.

Bathroom tips

• Add grab bars in shower, tub and toilet areas.
• Use nonslip adhesive strips or a mat in shower or tub.
• Consider sitting on a bench or stool in the shower.
• Consider using an elevated toilet seat.

Use care when walking

• Use helping devices, such as canes, as directed by your healthcare provider.
• Wear nonslip, low-heeled shoes or slippers that fit snugly. Avoid walking around in stocking feet.

Don’t forget

• Review medications with your doctor or pharmacist. Some drugs (including over-the-counter) can make you drowsy, dizzy and unsteady.
• Discuss safe amounts of alcohol intake with your physician.
• Have your hearing and eyesight tested. Inner ear problems can affect balance. Vision problems make it difficult to see potential hazards.
• Exercise regularly to improve muscle flexibility, strength, and balance. Talk to your healthcare professional about exercise programs that are right for you.
• If you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sit down or stay seated until your head clears. Stand up slowly to avoid unsteadiness.

Senior Care in BC: more private care or pay more tax?

Senior Care in BC: more private care or pay more tax?

BC government is cutting healthcare budgets, and introducing HST, which are not surprise to me and other people in the health care industry. I think it is the time to think again: how to use tax-payers’ money more efficiently, and how to provide quality care?

Today, maybe we just talk about senior care in BC.

People may say that we are a private company, so of course we will say private operation is more efficient. Well, we have to let numbers talk. For home support and home care services in BC, pubic or non-profit organizations are getting $40 – $50/hour from government fundings (tax-payers’ money) to provide the services. While private compnaies like us are just charging $22 – $24/hour for the same services. 

Why does it cost $20 more for an hour’s service from public providers? How can that happen? I think every manager in private companies knows the answer. And the answer is so simple: motivation. It is the difference between a cattle in a farm and a buffalo in the wild environment. Only the latter has the sense of emergency and efficiency. The cattle is fed well and busy with piles of paperwork.

Then people may argue about the quality of care perspective. True, public providers have much more resources, which is not fair in the first place. But when we are talking about quality of care, it is not about resources, but the passion, values and quality of each individual caregivers. They management and other employees in public organizations are very professional, compassionate, and committed to health care. There is no doubt about that. But the system, the structure are never dynamic, creative and passionate any more. We, as a private business, have no other choice but to improve our quality of services constantly to survive.

Another arguement will be fairness for private care. When people are smoking, they say it is their own business and shouldn’t be bothered by others. But when they get ill, they ask the public to pay their healthcare bills. So there is no single definition of fairness. My personal understanding is that the more efficient we use all our resources, the more people we can help with better quality. This is fair to me.

I can see more private care for seniors emerging. Maybe it is a good thing for you.

Chun Wang

General Manger

Dignity Home Care

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