Health promotion and podogeriatrics. A conceptual design for preventive services

Because the majority of practicing podiatrists' received their professional training when less emphasis was placed on geriatrics, future continuing education activities should be expanded to upgrade a practitioners' understanding of elderly patients and the diagnosis and treatment of their foot problems, particularly among the frail elderly living at home or in nursing homes or other institutional settings. Efforts should also include special emphasis on the current publications in the profession on the subject of aging, including patient care, health care delivery, and other related topics. The podiatric medical profession stands ready, as it has always done, to care for the elderly with dignity and quality. The elderly should not be allowed to waste away because of their inability to help themselves. As we strive to meet these objectives and needs, there is no doubt that they will be met, as long as there is a national recognition of the needs and appropriate changes take place in the total health care delivery system to provide the mechanism for action.