Access to health care is a common concern throughout Saskatchewan, but many don’t count consider foot care in their worries.
Nurses like Lisa Fletcher are sounding the alarm over vulnerable residents’ access to foot care. It’s something she says can be costly and dangerous if ignored.
“I see lots of people and they just have no funds for it,” Fletcher said. “If we can prevent people from going into emergency rooms or into the hospital prior to having all these complications, why wouldn’t we?”
Fletcher organized the ‘Help Heel the Soles of Saskatoon’ fundraiser at the Capitol Music Club earlier in November, raising over $3,500.
The money goes towards helping patients with minor foot ailments avoid hospital emergency rooms.
“(Issues with feet) are significant things that can cause people to look to emergency room and look to medical services that kind of take our essential services away from dealing with bigger issues like heart attack, strokes, all that kind of stuff,” Fletcher said.
Some nurses such as Bree Wright own their own foot care practice, and are petitioning the government to bridge the gap in foot care access in Saskatchewan.
“There’s just not enough support, there’s not enough funding, there’s not enough accessibility for so many patients,” Wright said. “If you don’t get that care early on there are substantial risks and poor outcomes.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Wright said lack of insurance coverage is a big hurdle for those needing foot care.
“Oftentimes what people do when they can’t afford it is try to do things themselves which isn’t always a very good thing,” Wright said.
“They’re going to untrained professionals which can cause huge issues down the road or for care.”
Wright agrees with Fletcher that increased support for foot care nurses and patients will help ease the burden on the health-care system.
“If we can recognize that high-risk individuals need to be assessed, we need to refer them to the most appropriate professional,” Wright said.
“We need to care for them before these issues get too big. That’s what’s going to lead to the best outcomes for all of our patients.”