Lately, whenever I put on a pair of shoes, I think about my elderly father. As I stare at my choices – high heel, low heel, sandal, sneaker, black, white, pink or blue – I think about him putting on the same pair of brown fisherman sandals day after day, month after month. He only has one pair; not because he’s particularly picky, but because we have not been able to find another pair that meets his needs for comfort and function. Like a lot of senior citizens, his feet appear slightly swollen most of the time. Not enough to cause concern but enough to make it difficult to find suitable shoes. He needs them to be wide; he needs them to have a high rise (the opening from the sole to the top of the shoe); he needs them to be easy to put on; and most importantly, he need them to be safe. When he first moved to Florida about a year ago to move into a continuing care retirement community, he primary footwear was a pair of slip-on sandals. They met all the criteria except the most important one – safety. Without any support around his heel, the shoes forced him to walk in a shuffle, not really picking his feet up and often snagging on carpet.
 
Last September, he took a fall (unrelated to his choice of shoes), that forced him to spend several weeks in the nursing home section of his ccrc. Upon his release back to his independent living apartment, I decided it was time to get him new and better shoes. The pair we selected is a leather fishermen’s sandal with one very helpful feature- a velcro closure strap. At 84 years old and having had double hip replacement surgery several years ago, my father’s mobility is limited. There’s no way he could bend down long enough – and steady enough – to tie shoelaces. But he also can’t wear slip-on shoes that can’t be opened and then closed; they are just too tight for him to get on. So these fishermen sandals have been the perfect solution. He can sit in his chair, position the shoes just in front of his feet, and with some patient wiggling, get his feet in. Then he slowly reaches down and closes the velcro. The holes in the sides of the shoe also offer much-needed ventilation.

I tell you all this because it has only recently hit me how something that I take largely for granted – the ability to wear whatever shoes I want – can become a huge issue for senior citizens. Shoes that seem sturdy may actually contribute to falls for the elderly, according to a study by Dr. Carol Frey, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Frey studied 185 men and women. Among those who fell and were injured during the year of the study, 28% said that the shoes they were wearing had caused the fall. Sixty percent of those wearing sneakers said they fell because their shoes caught or dragged on the floor.

Here are some safety tips from orthopedic experts:

• Never wear shoes with slippery or worn outer soles. Also avoid shoes with smooth leather or plastic soles, which can be slippery on carpets, wood and tile floors, and wet surfaces. Some athletic shoes made with synthetic soles, which may be ideal for exercising in a gym, can be extremely slippery on a damp or wet surface.
   
• Avoid wearing shoes and slippers that are loose or ill-fitting.
   
• When walking on carpets, avoid wearing shoes with heavy rubber lugs that can catch on carpets, especially when they are worn by people who barely pick up their feet when they walk (exactly my father’s problem). The rubber tips on the toes of running shoes can also cause a stumble on a carpeted surface.
   
• For an all-around shoe, consider walking shoes, which provide good traction and support but do not have heavy soles or rubber over the toes.
   
• Although shoes with a lot of cushioning can make you feel as if you are walking on air, they can also make an older person unstable and are best avoided.
   
• Shoes that tie are safer than shoes that slip on the feet. Laced shoes can be adjusted to accommodate orthotics, braces and swelling of the feet. For those who lack dexterity, consider replacing cloth laces with elastic ones that hold the shoe firmly on the foot, but stretch enough to allow shoes to be slipped on and off without tying or untying the laces. (I am planning to have my father try out this type of laces on his next pair of shoes.)
   

I am currently talking to some companies that sell shoes specifically for the elderly about advertising on my Florida Senior Living Advisor website. Stay tuned for more on that.

Tags: continuing care retirement community, elderly, nursing home, senior citizen, shoes

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