The Importance Of Finding The Right Shoes For Seniors

When it comes to senior health and wellbeing, appropriate footwear is essential because independence and mobility are two major predictors of lifespan and quality of life.

Could purchasing a pair of suitable shoes be so easy, affordable, and simple that it would have such a significant positive impact on one's health and wellbeing?

When evaluating fall prevention techniques, finding seniors cheap, comfortable, therapeutic, and orthopedic footwear is not often taken into account, but it should be. In the UK, 350,000 people fall each year and break their hip. Of those 40% end up in a nursing home and 20% never walk again.

Poor balance, using four or more prescription medications, and muscle weakness are the three main causes of falling. Without these risk factors, elderly people have a 12% annual chance of falling, and those who have all three almost always do.

Sometimes it's challenging to identify a potential danger factor. A patient may appear to be walking well on their own, without a walker or cane, and with apparent vigor. However, a look at their feet may reveal some information about some current risk factors. Swollen feet, untrimmed toenails, calluses, sores between the toes, hammertoes, bunions, heel pain, corns, and arthritis are a few examples of conditions that may influence balance by compromising gait.

 

So what should you look for in geriatric footwear?

Comfort. Shoes shield the feet from injury, which can frequently result in a drawn-out recovery period during which walking ability is compromised. Muscle strength deteriorates and the chance of falling once ambulation is hampered. Therefore, comfort is likely the most crucial factor. The chance of foot injuries rises if the patient does not wear their shoes because they are uncomfortable.

 

Lightweight and simple to put on and take off. A large, heavy shoe not only impairs gait but also wears out the patient; in other words, they won't wear it,  Since they make it simpler for people with limited mobility to reach their shoes and allow them to employ an extended arm grip if necessary, Velcro closures with an adjustable strap are frequently used.

 

Toe spring and heel strike are delayed. Shoes for older people should have soles that are made to reduce the chance of tripping and falling. Seniors frequently experience altered gait, therefore it's important to make sure that neither the heel impacts too soon nor the toe spring grips on surfaces like carpet.

 

Accommodation. There must be sufficient depth in the toe box to support overlapping toes and Hammer Toes, which are typical toe abnormalities, especially in females. Bunions, overlapping toes, hammertoes, rheumatoid arthritis, and hallux valgus can all be alleviated by material components in the forefoot of the shoe that can stretch and mold.

Affordability. The budget is a crucial aspect to think about. The vast majority of seniors live on fixed incomes. Medicare pays shoes and insoles for diabetics under specific conditions, but regrettably there is no coverage for people with illnesses like lymphedema. It helps to justify the investment in appropriate footwear by maintaining the price expectation at a level with a pair of sneakers.