New research out of Spain revealed that the overwhelming majority of elderly people aren’t wearing the right type of shoes, which can lead to a decreased quality of life.
For their study, researchers at the Podiatry University Clinic at the University of A Coruña in Spain examined footwear choice in a group of individuals with a median age of 75. After looking at their footwear choice, researchers uncovered that roughly 83 percent of seniors were not wearing the ideal shoe for their foot.
“Because of people’s lifestyles at this age, they can use shoes that are harmful to their feet,” said Daniel López López, a scientist who led the study, “This, combined with the appearance of chronic diseases such as obesity, vascular diseases, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, causes a worrying increase in foot problems in elderly people of between 71-percent and 87-percent. This means having to seek medical and podiatric attention more frequently, as it affects their functional capacity and quality of life.”
Footwear Choice For Seniors
Choosing the right footwear becomes even more important as we age. According to researchers, there were a number of problems that can occur as a result of wearing the wrong shoes as we get older. This can include:
- Pain
- Inhibited foot function
- Social isolation
- Loss of balance/falls
Researchers stated that a number of elderly individuals have simply developed a tolerance for foot pain over the years, so they try their best to ignore the pain instead of treating it and picking out shoes to help alleviate it. Another issue seniors face is that over the years their feet may have experienced different changes in morphology, meaning they may not be the same size as each other, so purchasing a standard pair of the same size shoe is problematic for one of their feet.
According to researchers, elderly individuals should undergo routine foot exams to ensure their feet are staying healthy, and that although it varies on a case-by-case basis, shoes with adjustable straps and rubber soles are ideal for seniors. They also advise that both feet should be measured and fitted for a shoe in the event that one foot is different in shape than the others.
