Foot care nurses providing pain relief for Calgary’s vulnerable population

Specialists volunteer to care for Mustard Seed clients, many of whom walk dozens of kilometres a day and suffer from foot issues.

Foot care nurses from Nursing Soles Inc visit the Mustard Seed every two weeks on Thursdays and Fridays volunteering their time to work on the feet of Calgary’s vulnerable population.

It’s a relationship that started in 2023 when founder Monica Shepherd was looking for a way to give back to her community and also train nurses in foot care techniques.

“It’s very close to my heart to work with the underserved communities, the homeless communities, anyone who has any issues getting housing,” she said.

“Having through the years seen people on the streets knowing how important foot care is and what they go through, especially with frostbite and amputations.”

Shepherd says many of the clients she sees typically wear the same shoes and socks for days or weeks on end and that can have a negative impact on their feet.

“Every time we do a treatment, we (include) brand new socks because we don’t want cross infection, we throw away the old ones and even every time they book, I give them new socks because it’s very important,” she said.

“You don’t want to have fungus toenails and that’s a big one in the community because they wear the same shoes, moist, humidity, dampness and dirty shoes, that’s what happens.”

Lesley Boyer has been a client of the Mustard Seed for 10 years and has always suffered from ingrown toenails. She says they can be extremely painful if they’re not looked after.

“Just having the sheets bump your toes at night is really hard,” she said. “I had my big toenails taken off when I was 12 so those little bits of toenails will catch on my sheets and bleed so I have to sleep with socks on.”

Boyer books regular appointments to have her nails trimmed so she can walk pain free.

“Just the actual quality of life I have now is great,” she said. “Because I can’t walk sometimes, I can’t wear my winter boots you know and being in (the clinic), they’re always so helpful.”

Shannon Edeonu, Mustard Seed wellness advocate supervisor, says clients can walk up to 50 kilometres a day because they’re constantly on the move. She sees the difference in patients before and after their half hour session with the nurses.

“There was one lady who said, ‘Wow, look at how I walk, I feel like I’m on clouds,’ and another gentleman said, ‘It just feels so good to put my shoes back on,’” said Edeonu.

“Another person was telling me, ‘I really enjoy that foot care clinic, it makes me feel like I can just relax and have fun.’”

Tammy Larsen, LPN foot care specialist, has been taking care of people’s feet issues for 10 years.

“When any of our patients have any kind of vulnerability, whether it be housing, medical disabilities, things like that, your feet are the least thing you think about,” she said. “But they are the first thing that can cause you the most problems.”

She says she gravitates toward medical issues most nurses want to stay away from.

“I love things that are other people will consider gross,” she said. “To me, I find feet interesting, I love being able to make a big difference with them and it doesn’t take much to go from a foot that’s uncomfortable and unmanageable, to a foot that’s suddenly manageable and less painful.”

Shepherd says they open the clinic at 9:30 a.m. and finish by 3:30 p.m., seeing clients every 30 minutes from the shelter, housing program and women’s shelters around the city.

“Once they get treatment with us, they always come back,” she said. “Because they realize how important it is - we provide a lot of education on maintenance and prevention.”

Learn more about the program online.