Can someone who doesn't walk anymore get blisters on their feet?

LittleVolcano

My mom who has advanced dementia and needs 24/7 care is in a small nearby board and care facility (she's been there 3 months now). The staff claims that she had blisters on her feet from her shoes and gave her some hand-me-down slippers from another resident. My mom is in a wheelchair all day. How did she get blisters on her feet?

My Dad is checking her feet today for blisters and I'm sure will let me know what he finds, but sometimes we feel like the staff is lying to us—as in, slip on shoes with no heel are easier to get onto mom than her slip on shoes with a heel. And if that's the case, why not just say that? We've had other questionable things happen with staff communication, so we're kind of on alert now, but I wanted to throw this question out there.

JDancer

I've seen foot blisters when someone stays in the same position too long. A blister can develop in a few hours if a foot is pressed against something firm, like a bed rail. I also saw a terrible ulcer when a woman with neuropathy in her feet wore her shoe that had a wadded up nylon "footie" sock in it.

LittleVolcano

Thanks for the input, JDancer! Luckily, Dad checked Mom's feet and there's no blister. However, Mom did say her foot hurt when Dad tried to put her shoe on, so I wonder if (1) Mom's getting swelling in her feet from sitting all day, and (2) I wonder if "blisters" was an inaccurate English translation for something like "sore spots," which I could totally imagine happening.

But, yeah, in general, I guess anything's possible with such a frail body.

False alarm, but food for thought. Thanks!

harshedbuzz

I'm sorry for the alarm.

If her aides are recent English learners, it's possible tense was lost in translation, and they were concerned about too tight shoes causing blisters.

If she's no longer ambulatory, a soft slipper or bootie might be more comfortable for her now.

HB

BassetHoundAnn

My mom doesn't walk any longer, and she's wearing super-soft slippers. Still, when I get the latest podiatry bill there is always a list of lesions, callouses, corns and whatnot that were attended to. Her feet are a mess. It's from a combination of things I think. Arthritis and a life of wearing too-tight shoes to name a few. That's why I insist that a podiatrist look at her feet every month or so rather than leave her foot care entirely to the staff at the memory care. It would be easy for her frail feet to develop a chronic ulcer or infection and those can become horrible in a very short time.

mommyandme (m&m)

Pressure sores can come on quite quickly…red spots…and can go away just as quickly when the pressure source is removed. My mom got red/purply spots even though she didn’t walk and had on soft booties to help stop her feet from sagging. I had to alternate the booties daily and I watched for pressure sores everywhere like a hawk. Pressure sores and skin ulcers scared me immensely so I did all I could to keep mom clear of them.

Just a thought.

LittleVolcano

So I talked to the caregiver about Mom's feet and it basically came down to Mom's feet growing and her shoes being too tight, especially with warm winter socks on, so they switched her to a larger, stretchier shoe. I offered to buy fuzzy slip-ons with a hard sole, but the caregiver (and my father) were content with the current shoes so I left it (if Dad's fine with something, I leave it, even if I'd do differently. He's the primary and I respect that). I get this feeling that Dad told them to talk me out of buying "fancy" things for Mom because he knows I'd empty my bank account for her if he'd let me, ha! And frankly, Mom wouldn't want me doing that either.

And, yes, Mom had terrible feet before going into care. She did recently have a podiatrist come and check, and Dad massages her feet both because foot massages just plain feel good and to also keep an eye on them. I'm a little too uncomfortable with the human body for that, so I'm very thankful that Dad's cool with it. So I think we're good for now. Whew!

Thank you everyone for chiming in! :)

TamiF

She may not be walking, but does she move her feet as if to propel the wheelchair? That may be causing some irritation if the shoes are newer or don’t fit right.