Tillsonburg MSC helps take care of your feet
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Betty Roberts, from Norwich, has become a 'regular' at the Tillsonburg Multi-Service Centre in the Livingston Centre for its Foot Care Services.
It wasn't long before her husband, John Roberts, joined her.
"I just find it so difficult to take care of my feet," said Betty, who will be 75 in December. "It's just so hard to get down to them. I've tried every which way to get at them, but you just... can't.
"I had a friend from Norwich who told me about it, so I started coming in. At first my husband said no, he wanted to do it himself.
"And I said no," she laughed, "I saw what he did to his toes."
The Roberts have been taking advantage of the service every five or six weeks since July.
"It's been four or five times now," said John, 78, after Wednesday afternoon's visit.
"It felt good," he said. "It stops you from getting ingrown toenails before your foot gets sore, so it's helped quite a bit. In fact, it helps a whole lot."
"From a health and wellness perspective, remaining mobile, that's what it's all about," said Max Adam, MSC Home Support Special Services Coordinator. "It's a big program."
MSC's foot care services feature one-on-one personalized service provided by trained personnel. Each treatment lasts about 20 minutes.
"It starts off with a soak, which is really good because it kind loosens everything up," said Betty.
"She (the foot care attendant) dries them, then cleans around the edges of the nails and underneath. She gets the clippers out and clips them. She's also checking for anything else that needs to be looked at. It's worked out super fine.
"My feet are still good but I'm diabetic and you have to be very careful. Right now, it's good, I have good circulation. My husband is the opposite – his feet are always cold, and his hands are cold. It's from the diabetes."
"When you're diabetic, and both of us are, you have to have your feet looked after all the time," said John. "When you see a doctor, the first thing they want to do is see your feet... make sure you don't have sores that are not healing. My wife and I haven't, but I know people (diabetics) who have had sores and they can't get them to heal up."
The Multi-Service Centre has three foot care 'clinic days' available in town – Mondays at Hickory Hills, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Livingston Centre, as well as Wednesdays in Ingersoll (provided by Stonebridge Community Services).
"In the clinic is cost-effective for people still able to drive," said Adam. "Or people can get the service in their homes – it's $5 more – and a foot care attendant will go right to their home and do the same service. The in-home foot care service is available throughout the area -- Tillsonburg, Ingersoll, Norwich and south Oxford County, and south to the lake in Norfolk County. We have clients in Port Rowan and along the lake."
MSC foot care services are accredited by Accreditation Canada, said Adam, with an autoclaving process (disinfectant standard) from TDMH.
"We have a roster of 35 personal support workers, and about four or five of them are trained for foot care – it requires some additional training."