When the Prince Edward Community Care for Seniors program needs help they can count on local support from a friendly neighborhood dentist. Dr. Layne Butler has stepped up to the plate and offered autoclave sterilization of pedicure instruments to the center so that they can continue to provide vital and affordable services to seniors in their community.

This not only gives the senior care program a way to meet the new Ministry of Health standards for sterilization – it also makes the planet a little greener. Resource sharing is a wonderful way to reduce overall consumption.

Dr. Butler’s office already has an autoclave in place so running the machine for these extra batches of foot care equipment is an easy task. The stainless steel nail files, clippers, probes, and scissors are cleaned with a chemical agent before being loaded into validation pouches and popped in the autoclave. The pouches change color during processing to indicate that they are sterile and ready for redistribution at the next foot care clinic.

This pedicure equipment was originally being shipped out to another company for paid sterilization and this was taking a bite out of the center’s meager budget. P.E. Community Care had considered purchasing their own autoclave but even a tiny desktop unit costing $1000 is expensive for a non-profit agency. When you add in the funds needed to retrofit the surrounding office space for a more adequately sized machine the price gets even steeper. Training, ongoing maintenance, inspection, and calibration aren’t cheap either.

Executive Director Debbie MacDonald Moynes and her coworkers gave the generous dentist a gift basket filled with chocolates, coffee and tea as a gesture of appreciation. That sounds absolutely delicious (and I know the staff at Dr. Butler’s office will remember to brush their teeth afterward). Be sure to visit the Prince Edward Community Care website for photos.

Well Kept Feet Mean Quality Of Life For Seniors

When young people hear the word pedicure they think of luxury spas and expensive treatments to pamper the rich. Older citizens know that keeping their feet in good condition is a very necessary step toward remaining independent as long as possible. For elderly individuals who no longer have the flexibility and fine motor control to manage their own foot care, having access to the affordable services provided by community programs is essential.

Most of P.E. Community Care’s clients access this service every 6 weeks or so. Age toughened toe nails are clipped and filed and nail beds maintained by well trained staff using sterile equipment (thanks again, Dr. Butler!). Diabetic clients can rest assured that caution will be used not to tear or damage the skin on their feet since such wounds don’t easily heal.

Above and beyond the hygiene aspect of foot care, there is a psychological benefit for seniors who may not have close family nearby to provide human contact. Gentle and caring touch is therapeutic for anyone living alone. We applaud this Canadian community center and the dental office staff for working together to keep this valuable practice available to those in need.