A Brief Occupational Therapy Foot Care Program for Community-Dwelling Older Adults and the Social Connectedness Implications

Individuals with type II diabetes are at risk of serious medical complications, which require daily patterns of health management. A single group, pre-post study was conducted to determine the impact of a new, brief occupational therapy foot care program for undeserved older adults with prediabetes or type II diabetes (n = 19). Culturally responsive, in-person programming included two one-hour modules of educational videos and guided practice with foot care equipment under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist. Using a researcher-developed questionnaire, knowledge regarding the regularity of assessing feet and lifestyle factors associated with diabetes increased post-intervention. An upward positive trend was observed with all questions posed, and a statistically significant increase in satisfaction regarding routine associated with diabetes was observed (p = 0.013). Results suggest the utility of a brief foot care program to address diabetes-related outcomes and the health management implications of social connectedness.