Steady Ground

Steady Ground

A caregiver’s guide to aging feet and fall prevention

If you help care for an aging parent, spouse, or friend, you may have noticed changes in how they walk. They hold onto the counter, take shorter steps, or wince when their shoes come off at night. Maybe there has already been a fall, or a close call that scared you both.

Written by Elise Matichak, DPM, a podiatric physician, this workbook explains what is happening in their feet and balance, and what you can do about it at home. You don’t need a medical background to use it. Every recommendation comes with the reasoning behind it, so you know why it matters.

Inside the 40-page printable workbook:

• How balance works and why walking gets harder with age
• How arthritis, weak muscles, a tight Achilles, nerve problems, and poor circulation add to the effort of walking
• A simple five-minute foot check you can do together
• Which changes need a call to their doctor, and which can wait
• What to look for in a shoe, including house shoes
• Home safety fixes and easy exercises at the kitchen counter
• How to bring up the subject without taking over, and what to do if they fall
• A printable toolkit: a foot-check checklist, a weekly habits tracker, a home safety walkthrough, a shoe shopping list, a fall and near-miss log, an appointment prep page, and a quick-reference sheet for the refrigerator

Format: After purchase, you’ll get an email with a link to download the workbook as a PDF. Print the toolkit pages as many times as you need.

For educational purposes only. This workbook does not replace advice from their doctor, podiatrist, or physical therapist.