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Diabetic Foot Care Device: A Case Study

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The foot care device is basically a long handled sponge with a mirror attached. This particular piece of adaptive equipment can help patients in the areas of occupation ADLs personal hygiene and grooming and the IADL health management and maintenance. The device can help patients inspect the bottoms of their feet or other hard to see areas on their body. This device can play a key role in early detection of pressure ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers. The mirror on the equipment can help address several client factors. Visual function is addressed with the mirror. Patients may not be able to see the soles of their feet or other parts of their body very well by just using their eyes for skin inspection. The client factor of skin and related …show more content…

Skin inspection is a very common thing that must be performed regularly with these diagnoses. Inspection of the skin is extremely important as pressure sores and infections can occur very quickly. Ideally skin should be inspected at least once a day. Patients will need to look for reddened areas, scrapes, cuts, bruises or any kind of discoloration. Areas that need special attention are the groin area, behind knees, the areas around the ankles and elbows, and posterior areas on the hips and tailbone. The only way for your patient to know if their skin is healthy and intact is to look at it regularly. In areas where sensation is decreased or impaired, skin inspection is a must and should become a habit. Encourage the patient to plan it as a part of their regular routine. For example, during a time when you are undressed anyway, like after a shower, before dressing in the morning or after undressing in the evening. Also when working with some of these diagnosis or patients that are in wheelchairs the therapist needs to educate the patient on position changes.
Pros of using the foot care device are that it can be used as a one handed device and it has a long handle to help decrease trunk flexion. The device is fairly light weight, easy to maneuver, and can be fit to accommodate your patient by adjusting measurements. I would say that the length of the handle side can vary due to the size of your patient. This device could really benefit patients that do not do their skin inspection daily. The device could make them become more compliant since it is easier for them to check their

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