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Footsore Elderly 'Turn to Razors'
BBC News
The United Kingdom
August 20, 2005
Good foot health can give elderly people their freedom
Elderly people with foot problems are resorting to self-treatments including using razor blades because they cannot access NHS care, campaigners say.
Help the Aged estimates a million people over 65 have problems accessing podiatry services.
It said that, because of these difficulties, they often opted for potentially dangerous self-care.
But the Department of Health said the number of NHS chiropodists had increased since 1997.
However, Help the Aged said provision of NHS podiatry services for older people should not be treated as the "poor relation" to high profile public health issues such as obesity and smoking.
Its report said there were 6.5 million over-65s requiring professional foot care, but one in four, 1.6 million, could not get NHS help.
Help the Aged said a further 1.6 million people decide to pay for treatment privately.
And the charity added two thirds of those needing foot care cannot even bend down or see to tend to their own feet.
'Vital service'
Foot problems can severely affect elderly people's lives by seriously restricting their mobility.
Their feet need special care because they are more prone to skin and joint problems and they heal more slowly.
Untreated foot problems, such as an ingrown toenail, can lead to pain, difficulty in walking and even, in some severe cases, amputation.
Those who have no help have to tend to their own feet as best they can.
One man interviewed by charity said: "I use a razor blade to shave off my corns to save money. Sometimes its starts bleeding but otherwise it's OK."
Help the Aged's report said there had been too little investment in local NHS podiatry services, and that overly harsh eligibility criteria had resulted in discrimination against those who needed care the most.
It said that, while people who had strong clinical needs did get treatment, many older people were denied basic preventative care even though they were the age group which needed it most.
Jonathan Ellis, policy manager for Help the Aged, said: "To an older person, basic foot care services, such as regular toenail cutting, offers a massive life line.
"It can make the difference between becoming housebound and losing independence or leading a full and active life."
Help the Aged are calling for National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on podiatry for older people.
But Professor Ian Philp, the government's older people tsar, said podiatry services were recognised as being vital for the health and well being of older people.
"In September 2004, there were 3,941 qualified NHS chiropodists, 20% more than in 1997. The number of chiropody students has increased by 64% since 1999."
But he said it was the responsibility of PCTs and strategic health authorities to organised services in their local area.
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