Did You Know? Your Feet Get Bigger With Age.

Why foot care becomes more important with age

If you are over 50 you may already notice that your shoe size is getting larger. Consider that by age 50 most people have walked the equivalent of several times around the world! That’s a lot of pressure on your feet, ligaments, and tendons, causing your feet to flatten and spread. And the natural loss of bone density, muscle mass, and fatty collagen that comes with the aging process adds to foot problems. This is one of the reasons why the elderly are at risk of experiencing a serious fall. But don’t despair, here are some tips for aging foot care.

Exercise your feet
That’s right, make it a habit to exercise your feet for a few minutes every day. There are many exercise tutorials available online. Here are a few:

• Slowly curl the toes of both feet down and up as far as you can, repeat 10x
• Splay the toes of both feet as wide as you can, hold for a few seconds, and repeat 10x
• Pick up a small ball (like a marble) with your toes, repeat 10x with each foot
• Stand and roll a tennis ball with pressure under the arches of each foot for several minutes
• Deeply massage your feet with lotion every night before bed to loosen muscles, improve flexibility, stimulate circulation, and soothe rough, dry skin

Here are some additional foot care tips

• Trim toenails regularly to avoid ingrown nails
• Consider changing your shoe style for a wider toe box to help avoid (or lessen) bunions
• Wear low-heeled shoes
• Avoid walking barefoot in favor of well-structured, supportive shoes
• Avoid loose shoes, slippers, and sandals which tend to cause falls 
• Always see a podiatrist promptly if you experience foot pain
  

​Did you know that Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is the longest-serving VNA in the state of New Jersey? So we know a thing or two about helping seniors “age in place” to avoid hospitalization and nursing homes, and also what services people need to recover from illness and surgery at home. We suggest that you learn more about our home health care services and make a plan to age at home before you have a health emergency.

Medicare and supplemental insurance often do not cover all the care our patients and caregivers need. If you would like to help, please visit vnannj.org/donate or call VNA Foundation: 973-451-4148.

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The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is a leading provider of comprehensive home health care services in Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, Somerset, and Passaic Counties in Northern New Jersey. Established in 1898, generations have known that just one call to VNA opens the door to quality, patient-centered home health care solutions that allow patients to remain in the comfort of their homes with dignity, health, and independence.

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© All content on The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey's website, including blog posts, may be reproduced only if attributed to our organization with a link to vnannj.org.

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