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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - During the winter they're often hidden away in socks, slippers and boots, but a group of Deh Cho nurses were reminded last week of how important feet are.

Ten nurses from Fort Simpson, Fort Providence, Fort Liard and Hay River participated in a three-day foot care workshop from March 9 to 11. The workshop, which was offered by Dehcho Health and Social Services in Fort Simpson, highlighted why proper foot care is important.

Kathleen Gast, a community health nurse, uses a Dremel rotary tool to file a toenail during a foot care workshop offered by Dehcho Health and Social Services in Fort Simpson. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"People tend to neglect their feet because they're out of sight, out of mind," Tessa Merry, a member of the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON), who instructed the course.

Feet, however, play a crucial role in overall health. A common complaint is "when my feet hurt, I hurt all over," said Merry.

If a person has sore feet, they stop walking and immobility leads to other health problems, she said. The nurses in the course learned how to prevent foot problems and promote proper foot care.

A key part of the course is learning to identify people with high-risk feet, including those with diabetes, arthritis and circulation problems.

"These are people who have to be really careful with their feet," said Merry.

Diabetics are at risk because they often lose feeling in their feet, and as a result can hurt them without realizing it, Merry said. Damage can lead to open wounds, infections and amputations.

Education is important so leg amputations can be avoided, she said. Statistics show 50 per cent of diabetics who have a leg amputation lose the second leg within three years, Merry said.

In addition to learning about high-risk feet, all the nurses left the workshop with tidy toes after using each other as practice cases. The nurses practiced cutting nails, using rotary tools to file down thick nails and treating corns and calluses.

The information has all been very practical and useful, said Kathleen Gast, a community health nurse in Fort Simpson.

"There's going to be a ton of people who'll want their feet done," Gast said.

Dehcho Health and Social Services (DHSS) offered the workshop because staff identified that there's a need for foot care services, said Tracy Humphrey, manager of continuing care for DHSS.

"It's not for pedicures and all that," she said.

Staff will identify if clients need regular foot care or advanced care. People who are unable to look after their own foot care will receive treatment from home support workers or residential care aids in the case of long term care, said Humphrey.

Nurses will now be able to handle the more advanced cases including people with diabetes, she said.