If you are thinking of buying new shoes for your loved one who is older and living with dementia, don’t!

I know that we want to do nice things for our loved ones, and we want to feel like we are taking good care of them.  But new shoes are not the best idea.

Our feet are so incredibly important to the health of our whole body.  The tactile, kinesthetic, and proprioceptive input we receive through our feet, that helps our body know where our body is in space, and helps our body maintain an upright position, is critical to how the rest of our body works.

So….in the case of folks who are older and living with dementia, the way their foot has molded into a shoe over time is not just about the foot mold in the bottom of the shoe; it is also about how the foot has gotten used to resting in and moving in that shoe, which translates into all of that sensory input I referred to above.

So…a new shoe requires the foot to learn how to rest and move in a new pair of shoes…which decreases the efficiency and familiarity with which the foot sends all of that rich sensory input to the rest of the body.  Essentially, we put our loved ones at higher risk of falls, muscle imbalances, and changed walking posture when we put them in a new pair of shoes.

In addition, the bottom sole of a new pair of shoes is usually more sticky and has more grip than the old pair of shoes.  It seems like this might help prevent slips and falls, but what often happens is that the person is more likely to catch the toe of that shoe because it sticks more and grips more to the floor, therefore increasing the likelihood that they will trip and fall.

It may be hard to see your loved one walk around in the old pair of shoes they’ve worn for some time.  But know that you are doing their bodies a favor by letting them wear those old shoes.  And by not making those old shoes into a point of contention (now that you understand why those old shoes are so important, and why your loved ones feel so comfortable in them), you are doing your loved one a favor by saving them stress and anxiety.  And when their stress and anxiety is lower, so is yours.

Hoping to be helpful,

Jill

©Jill Couch