Can Elderly Diabetic Patients Co-operate with Routine Foot Care?

Foot care education is widely promoted as a preventive strategy for reducing foot ulceration in diabetes. We describe a simple method of assessing the ability of elderly diabetic patients to co-operate with foot care advice. Using small self-adhesive red spots, foot lesions can be simulated and pati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Age and ageing 1992-09, Vol.21 (5), p.333-337
Main Authors: THOMSON, FIONA J., MASSON, EWAN A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Associated diseases and complications
Biological and medical sciences
Care and treatment
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance
Diabetic Neuropathies - prevention & control
Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases)
Endocrinopathies
Feet
Female
Foot
Foot care
Foot Ulcer - prevention & control
Geriatric Assessment
Health care
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Neurologic Examination
Older people
Patient Compliance
Self Care
Self-Examination
Social Environment
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Summary:Foot care education is widely promoted as a preventive strategy for reducing foot ulceration in diabetes. We describe a simple method of assessing the ability of elderly diabetic patients to co-operate with foot care advice. Using small self-adhesive red spots, foot lesions can be simulated and patients advised and prompted to detect and inspect these ‘lesions’. Nineteen young non-diabetic volunteers and three groups of 14 elderly patients were assessed: diabetic patients with a foot ulcer, diabetic patients with no history of foot ulceration and non-diabetic patients. Eleven (39%) of the diabetic patients were unable to reach their toes and remove the lesions and only 6 (14%) of all elderly patients could respond to plantar lesions. It is therefore unlikely that unsupported foot care education can be effective in reducing the morbidity of foot problems in the elderly diabetic patient.
ISSN:0002-0729
1468-2834
DOI:10.1093/ageing/21.5.333