What is Covid-19 safe?
During this pandemic our goal is to keep you and our staff safe. We follow the CDC guidelines and Massachusetts recommendations. We come to your home and screen for Covid at the door. We do not take care of Covid-19 patients or those who have been exposed. Our goal is to keep everyone safe. We practice social distancing in both our personal lives and at our clinics and in your homes. We only touch feet. We wear N95 masks for all appointments and ask that everyone we take care of do the same. We wear gloves to provide hands on foot care, and disinfect our equipment. We wash our hands constantly. Your safety is our number 1 priority. A fall that is related to you feet not working well is avoidable with good foot care, which is why we have worked diligently and safely throughout this pandemic.
Why not a pedicure?
A pedicure is a beauty product that often feels good. If you are in good health that is one thing, but calluses, corns, thick nails, peeling skin and pain in feet are actually not normal and may be indicative of other problems. A pedicure will gloss over these issues. A session with us will also leave your feet feeling great and looking good, but you will walk out of a session having received person centered care and with a lot more knowledge about how to prevent problems and pain from happening.
How does FootCare by Nurses compare to Podiatry?
Podiatrists are medical doctors whose responsibility is to diagnose and fix problems. They recommend treatments and do procedures. We are licensed Nurses, with extensive training in foot care and our responsibility is to prevent problems from happening. There is some overlap. We use practice standards and evidence garnered from a multitude of disciplines to guide our practice. We complete lower limb assessments, assess shoes and socks and gait, trim toenails, reduce toenail thickness, reduce calluses, remove corns, address fungal toenails and skin issues, help with edema control, perform a circulation-enhancing massage, reset balance and fit some shoes for diabetics and hard to fit feet. We also provide a lot of education. We are after all in the prevention business. We do not diagnose, do surgery, or prescribe. We do work closely with MDs, DPMS, Physical therapists and pedorthists in the area and we are not afraid to pick up the phone and advocate for the needs of our patients.
Payment and Do you take insurance?
Payment is expected at time of service (cash, check, or credit card). By special arrangement we can also invoice. We do not take insurance directly but our service may be reimbursable. We can accept HSA/FSA payments. We are also contracted through several elder service agencies (ask for a referral from your case manager) and have many clinics through Councils on Aging at reduced patient prices.
What happens in a foot care visit?
The initial visit typically takes 45 minutes to 1 hour. It includes an intake, which involves gathering a health history and the medications you are taking, a full lower limb assessment, assessment of falls risks and other health concerns. We then provide our evidenced based foot care and follow up with a circulation and tension relieving massage. We follow best practices as recommended by the AFCNA, the CAFCN and the world of wound care prevention; that’s why we never soak feet. Our tools are chemically sterilized between each use, and we use burrs and other tools to minimize discomfort and risk of injury.
During your visit we:
- Conduct a thorough assessment of your shoes, socks, balance, skin and pulses to put together a picture of your foot health
- Trim nails, reduce and bring nails back to functioning.
- Reduce any corns and calluses
- Remove the dead dry skin, if you have cracked heels.
- Perform circulation enhancing and releasing body work to revitalize
- Sharing of nursing knowledge
How much does an appointment cost?
We see most patients in their home. We schedule the initial appointment for an hour for $130. Follow-up appointments take a little less time and are $95.
We also have an office for clinic visits in Greenfield, Fitchburg, and Lee, MA.
An initial visit fee is $100, which includes the treatment, and follow up visits are $55.
We staff into many Council on Aging/Senior Centers where the fee is less. We cover from Leominster throughout the Pioneer Valley, into the Berkshires. Please call us – 413.367.8369 and we can direct you.
We work with Area Service Access Points (ASAPS) like Life Path, Highland Valley, Greater Springfield Senior Services, Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts, West Mass Elder Care, and Elder Services of Berkshire County, so if you are receiving assistance from them please ask your case worker if you are eligible for foot care services.
Whose feet do you take care of?
Our way of doing foot care is valuable for anyone who values their feet. We are in the prevention business. Diabetic and medically appropriate for all, our youngest patient is 8. Her mother wanted her to learn how to balance on her feet. Our oldest patient is 109 and still walks around town. We care for active people who are walkers, runners, health care workers, food service providers, factory workers and even cyclists. In a nutshell, we work with people who don’t want their feet or knees to hurt. We also take care of people who cannot move their limbs, and people who are bed bound or confined to wheel chairs or even on vents. Feet are often undervalued and not recognized for their important contribution to our health. Anyone who values their health and needs is a potential client of ours.
Our nurses are also great with taking care of feet belonging to people with dementia/ Alzheimer’s. If you are a diabetic, have neuropathy, or are unable to reach your feet due to surgery, or other obstacles or health issues, we are happy to be your foot angels. Our mission is prevention and our passion is caring and our role in health care is to keep all feet happy and healthy.
Please contact us 413.367.8369 with any questions send us an email at contact@footcarebynurses.net