Trimmed toenails avoid tumbles

Do you have trouble reaching your feet to cut your toenails?
Or maybe your hands have become less strong and you are no longer able to use clippers? 

If you need help but don’t wish to ask a friend or spouse, you are not alone and there is a service out there you may not yet know about.  Last year we (local charity Age UK Somerset) cut over 37,000 toenails via our professional Toenail Cutting Service which we run in association with Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at clinics across the county.

Toenails that have grown too long can not only cause discomfort but they can have an effect on balance which, in the worst case scenario, can lead to falls and sometimes even hospitalisation.

The service is open to over 60s who live in Somerset and is rated Good by the Care Quality Commission.  Once accepted onto the service, clients can have 4 cuts a year at the clinic nearest to them.  There are certain restrictions on clients who are on medication such as warfarin, some other anti-coagulants, and some oral steroids. 

The service offered is just a simple toenail cutting service - no other footcare such as help with corns, bunions or hard skin is offered.  But if you just want your toenails cut by fully trained staff then at £12 per appointment, (and an initial cost of £10 to pay for your own equipment to ensure the highest levels of hygiene), the service offers a cost-effective way of maintaining your toenails compared to visiting a chiropodist. 

Mr Bailey (pictured) was happy to discover and join one of the clinics in Taunton after paying more than 4 times what the Age UK Somerset service charges to see a chiropodist when all he needed was his toenails trimmed.

Around 1,200 over 60s in Somerset are signed up to the service and we currently have room for more!

To join the service contact your GPs surgery and ask them to refer you via the Podiatory Service, or for more information call Age UK Somerset on 01823 345610, email tnc@ageuksomerset.org.uk or click here.