1. IMPORTANCE OF FOOT HEALTH IN OLDER
PEOPLE – A REVIEW OF LITERATURE
IFA 11th Global Conference on Aging 28.5.-1.6.2012, Prague, Czech Rebublic

2. AUTHORS
Minna Stolt, MNSc, Podiatrist, PhD candidate, Finnish Doctoral Programme
in Nursing Science, Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku,
Finland, email: minna.stolt@utu.fi
Riitta Suhonen, PhD, RN, Professor, Department of Nursing Science,
University of Turku, Finland
Matti Viitanen, PhD, MD, Professor, University of Turku, Finland
Päivi Voutilainen, PhD, RN, Adjunct Professor, Ministry of Social Affairs and
Health, Finland
Helena Leino-Kilpi, PhD, RN, Professor, Department of Nursing Science,
University of Turku and Nurse manager, The Hospital District of Southwest
Finland, Finland

3. BACKGROUND
• Foot health is essential for older
persons in maintaining functional ability
and in managing daily activities.
• Despite these foot problems are highly
prevalent in older people.
• Foot problems are often considered as a
part of ageing process and not as a
health problems needing professional
care.
13.7.2012

4. AIM
• to highlight the importance of foot
health in older people without long-
term foot-related diseases and
• consequences of foot problems for
older people
• based on earlier literature

5. SEARCH
• Medline and Cinahl databases
• to identify articles focusing on foot
problems and their influence on
wellbeing in general.
• Search terms were foot, problem,
disorder, complaint, condition, disease
• Limits: English language, aged 65 and
over years and timeframe 2001-2011.

6. INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA
• Inclusion criteria:
• Empirical articles
• Focus on older people without foot-related
diseases
• Exclusion criteria:
• Articles concerning diabetes and surgery

7. SELECTION PROCESS OF THE ARTICLES
• After two stage selection process 10
articles were identified for the content
analysis.

8. RESULTS
• Foot problems were reported to cause:
• Disability
• poorer functional status
-> leading to increased risk of falls and
impaired functional ability and balance.

9. RESULTS CONT.
• Foot problems affect negatively:
• quality of life and
• in overall health and wellbeing.
• Different foot problems increased the
disabling foot pain especially in the
area of toes.

10. CONCLUSION
• Different foot problems hamper many
ways older person’s safe living.
• Due to growing number of older people
in the future, careful attention needs to
be paid to the promotion of foot health
and to prevention of foot problems.
• Regular foot health assessment
• Untreated foot problems can affect
older person’s general wellbeing and
functional ability.

11. Thank you for your attention!
minna.stolt@utu.fi