More advice on old feet - dealing with "foot funk"

The older we get the more likely we are to develop "foot funk" - it's my generic term for athlete's foot, toe fungus and generally dry scaly appearance.   With my Mom's feet, there are dry patches on her heels and calouses and then there are overly moist hard-to-keep dry areas between her toes.  I also notice that the area between her does almost looked "spongy" at times - the skin was white on top with small holes.  When I spread her toes it would stretch and tear, revealing dark pink skin underneath.  The top layers of skin would very easily peel or rub off and the skin below could split and become painful.  When I first began watching her feet, this happened a lot but over a few weeks time - with diligent attention and a some new practices - we healed up the worst spots and all she suffered was some itching now and then - a huge improvement over the keep cracks and odors.

Poor circulation means that Mom wants socks and shoes on all the time but that means the area between her toes don't get "aired out" and remain moist.   When Mom was home I soaked her feet in a mix of water and white vinegar (4 to 1 dilution), water and listerine (2 to 1 dilution) and tried an occasional massage with tea tree oil after cleaning and drying her feet well. Be warned, I used the tea tree oil ONLY after the cracks on her skin were healed.  DO NOT USE TEA TREE OIL ON OPEN WOUNDS!    The water and white vinegar once a week seemed to work best.   She had a couple of spots between her two most outer toes that were stubborn and it took a long time to see improvement in the skin. For these I used anti-fungal cream for a couple of months.  When I was not there, she was able to put the cream between her toes herself everyday.  This helped it to heal so that a mild vinegar soak was able to keep the fungus at bay.    I didn't want to soak her feet until these areas where improved because I thought the vinegar might burn or sting raw open spots between those toes.

I don't think you can ever get rid of this stuff once it's there;  it's a matter of keeping it under control.   I've read that there are dietary changes that also help - it's basically reducing sugar intake. Sugar is fungus' favorite food so if you eat a lot of it or if you're diabetic and your body can't process sugar, you might have more problems with athlete's foot - and fungus in other spots like jock itch or vagina yeast infections....but - our focus here is FEET so please read on......

Here are some of the things that worked for my mom's feet:  Remember that we had to be diligent about this, it became part of her regular daily routine:
Socks:  always use cotton, wool or some of the new materials that wick moisture AWAY from the skin. change socks daily and wash socks alone in small loads. Use hot water and put at least one cup of white vinegar, 2 cups is probably best,  in the wash water to help kill fungus.  I got the "wicking" socks at REI in the hiking section.  If it was especially cold, I'd put those on first then a 2nd pair of wool socks.
Shoes: if possible, let them go without shoes, this permits air to circulate around the feet.   Often shoes for our elders are made of vinyl or other man-made products that don't permit air circulation.  My mom used to complain of her feet feeling cold and wet when she wore cheap sneakers - they were, she had poor circulation but her feel still sweated and it stayed there in her poly-canvas shoes.  EEE..UUUuuuuu
Powder:  We used a spray athlete's foot powder, medicated foot powder, corn starch and baking soda combined - they all helped if used regularly - meaning EVERYDAY.  The generic store brands of spray powder and anti-fungal cream from Target were just as effective as the more spendy brands.  I recommend avoiding powers with talc; talc seemed to make the deepest problems worse.  Be sure to wipe it off with dry tissues at least once a day and re-apply.

DIABETIC readers:  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - don't just take my advice here, see a doctor about your feet and how to best take care of your feet.    If cracks in your skin do not seem to heal, you might need more than over-the-counter medication. 

For my original ideas on care of old feet, see this blog post from 2009
2009 article Old feet have special needs

How do i take care of diabetic feet? How do i clean up grandmas feet? how do i trim grandpas toe nails.  Old feet have special needs.

I found another Christmas surprise for mom - a "bangle" wrist watch

Purely by accident, I found the perfect gift for my mom - a "bangle" wristwatch.   This is not just a simple bangle.  The watch band is made of two metal pieces that attach to the watch with hinges so they open up wide which will allow mom to put the watch over her wrists with ease. 

I'm so excited to find this for her.  She's gone through several watches and it's always hard to find one with a face that's medium sized yet has big numbers so she can easily see it.   I really think she'll be pleased.    Here are some photos that show the watch; the watch with the hinges in the normal position and the hinges spread apart a little. 

If anyone needs such a watch for a male, there are some very basic designs that would be suitable for a man - plain black watch bands, plain white faces and plain black numbers.   I found this one at Kohls - and it was ON SALE!!

Medium sized watch face with large numbers at all hours not just 3, 6, 9 & 12.

The watch when hinges are "closed" or not extended.

This demonstrates how the hinges open, this is only about 2/3 of the possible width. This permits Mom to open it herself and put it over her wrist. It sort of makes it a flexible size too since her wrist can swell to 2-3 times normal size due to arthritis.

What should I get grandma for Christmas.   What's the best gift for grandma for Christmas. what should i get grandma for her birthday.

More ideas for Grandma at Christmas..

This year I don't face the challenge to get Mom a Christmas gift.  She's getting 3 things that will make her life more comfty: 

• a pencil box full of rectractible pens
• several packets of eye glass wipes
• a new fleece jacket with a hood. 

She loves to do cross-word puzzles and pens always seem to disappear - I know the aides take them since she can't possibly use up ink that fast.  I got several packets of pens and used a silver sharpie to write her name on them.  I found an "easy open" pencil box in the school department at a local large retailer and voila - gift #1 down.  I won't give her all the pens now; I'll stash them at home and mail her a few at a time.

The eye glass wipes are a must.  It seems her glasses are always dirty. The aides just don't have time to help residents wash their glasses.  So now she can do it herself.

The fleece jacket will go over big.  mom's got a couple of them already but they are looking ratting and old. She needs a "dressier" version.   I buy hooded ones for her because of her dowager's hump.   The fabric for the hood wraps up and around her neck to help keep her warm.

Some other ideas for gifts:
A "counter top" wreath hanger to hold photo frames.   This is basically a pole rising above a stand with a hook at the top.   Mom can't hang anything on the walls in her nursing home so I got a couple of these.  One sits on the night stand next to her bed and holds a photo frame.  The other sits next to the sink and holds seasonal decorations.

A cabinet hook (think kitchen towels)  to hang a photo frame, decorations or a jacket or sweater.  I found this in the kitchen department.  It's supposed to hook over a kitchen cabinet door and hold a dish towel but it's just the right size to go on the cabinet door or drawer front in mom's room too.  I got one for her birthday and hung a photo frame from it.  Be sure to find the lightest frame possible since you don't want to ruin the hinges on any cabinet doors.

Slippers - especially easy on and easy off slippers.   I got Mom some with velcro closure.  It's necessary now since she lacks the dexterity to tie shoes. 

Gift certificates to the nearest salon for shampoo and set.  I pay for a "resident trust" at mom's nursing home but some families can't afford to do this.   It would be nice if someone gave other residents a $40-50 gift certificate to the in-house salon.  This would get them 4-5 haircuts - it goes a long way toward helping them feel better.

Individually wrapped candy bars.  Do this ONLY if your elder can have sugar. While these aren't as good as a whole box of chocolates, it means that the candy will keep a long long time.  If they're in a nursing home or assisted living, it also gives them something to share with the staff or other residents.


Here's another idea for TIME but comes with something to do:  Get a couple boxes of Christmas cards and stamps then spend a couple of hours dictating messages to friends and family for your elder.   Let them sign the cards and then drop them in the mail.  It will help your elder feel like they can still do something meaningful for others.  And, if they get cards in return, let them know that others appreciate them and remember them.

Help them give something to others: capture your elders favorite recipes and prepare a small book of their recipes for others. If you can, write some stories about their relatives who taught them to cook; to do a craft like quilting or who most inspired them.  Have the elder sign all the copies before you distribute them.  One thing that means a lot to me is a few recipes that my grandmother actually wrote in her own hand.  It might also be nice to have grandma or grandpa write their recipes and scan them in then print them.

Subscription to magazines with large print or some that are good reading:  Readers Digest; or something that will stimulate their brains like Popular Mechanics, literary magazines or National Geographic.  I recommend avoiding things like Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, or others that are about food, fashion or home decorating - really, it's so inappropriate for someone their age, especially if they no longer live at home.

A clipboard with a compartment for documents.   My mom uses this as a light weight lap desk.  It's also a good place to hide pends from the aides!   I attached a strap of ribbon so it's easier to pick up. I drilled two holes in the end opposite the clip, then cut a 7 inch ribbon and poked then ends into the holes.  I tied knots at the ends of the ribbon so that they are inside the document compartment. 

If your elder is still at home: give them coupons to eat out at a local restaurant. Better yet, make a couple of appointments to take them to lunch and then FOLLOW THROUGH!!!!  This is especially important in Jan, Feb and March when it's cold and dark and they might not get much company.

A telephone with volume control on the handset and large numbers.  This is especially helpful for those with hearing aides.  Hearing aids and telephones don't always work well together.   If they want to remove their hearing aide, the volume control will permit them to hear well without it.

What can I get grandma for Christmas.  What can I get for grandpa for Christmas.

Isolation is over but I find other problems at the nursing home

I finally got in a good visit with Mom.  I traveled 7 hours to her home town and got to see her daily for three days. On my first visit, after I hugged her like crazy, I took a good long look around.  I looked at the bedding, her clothes, her shoes, her drawers in the night stand - everything, anything...  What I found was disturbing and encouraging.  All of her clothes and shoes where there, her bedding was clean. ... however.... in the bottom drawer of her nightstand I found a bed pan.   This is the normal storage for bedpans in Mom's nursing home; they use them, rinse and wash them and store each in a thick plastic bag.  This one was not in a bag and was smeared with something brown.... it's a bed pan, that can only mean one thing.... EEEEEeeeUUUU uuuuu!!!!

So, I asked floor nurse - not the aid - to come to look at "something disturbing".
Me: pointing to the open drawer: "Is that a bed pan?"
Nurse: glancing down, hands on hips: "Yes, it is. We always keep them in the bottom drawer."
Me: pointing to the  bed pan and the smear, "What do you suppose that brown substance might be?"
Nurse: suddenly paying close attention,  "Oh! that's not acceptable!"
Me:  bending over and pointing, "And, those, are those the same bandages you use on Mom's stasis ulcers?"
Nurse: "I'll have someone clean it up right away."

...and she did.  The nurse threw the bedpan in the trash and soon housekeeping came to clean the drawer with a bleach solution.  I am left wondering how long a dirty bed pan had been in the drawer and if the nurse putting on Mom's bandages would have used them or thrown them away.  Someone put a dirty bed pan in the drawer- it could have been the night before or days before.  Someone might have been using a dirty bed pan for days. Someone changes mom's bandages daily and should have seen it and done something. It's always "someone else" whenever I find this type of stuff at the nursing home.  

Every visit I find something terribly disturbing.  It does not leave me confident that Mom's getting good care.  This nursing home is ranked fairly well compared to others across the state, I can only imagine how crappy - no pun intended - that must be.