Nurturing Your Feet: A Journey to Foot Happiness

You won't believe the fascinating conversation we had with Cindy Jorgensen, the owner of Tending Toes, on our latest podcast episode. It was all about foot care and we learned so much about the importance of taking care of our feet as we age.

Cindy shared her journey into the medical foot care field and how she discovered her passion for helping people with their foot health. We also discussed the difference between a medical pedicurist and a salon pedicurist, and why it's crucial to see a certified medical pedicurist, especially if you have diabetes or other foot issues.

We were blown away by the knowledge Cindy shared about the potential dangers of certain products used in regular salons, like sugar scrubs and sharp-edged foot files. She explained how these can actually harm the feet, especially for diabetics. It was eye-opening to realize that not all pedicures are created equal!

We also talked about the importance of asking the right questions when researching for a medical pedicurist. Cindy emphasized the need to inquire about their licensing, training, and experience, as well as their knowledge of specific foot conditions. She even shared a helpful resource, the North American School of Pedology, where you can find certified master pedicurists across the United States.

But it wasn't all serious talk! We had some fun discussing Cindy's love for coloring her hair and going on road trips. And can you believe that 70% of Tending Toes' clientele are men? It's true! Cindy has created a comfortable and welcoming environment for everyone, including guys.

So, my friend, if you're curious about foot care and want to learn more about how to keep your feet happy and healthy, you won't want to miss this episode. Trust me, you'll come away with a newfound appreciation for the importance of taking care of your feet. Let's put our best foot forward together!

Transcript

John: 0:12

Hi, I'm John,

Erin: 0:14

and I'm Erin. You're listening to connect and power. The podcast that proves age is no barrier to growth and enlightenment

John: 0:21

tune in each week as we break down complex subjects into bite sized enjoyable episodes that will leave you feeling informed, entertained, and ready to conquer the world. Our guest today has been doing medical foot care since 2003. In 2009, she started Nails by Cindy J and grew, her business did too, which led her to adding her co owner, Amanda Reinhart. And changing the name to what is now known as Tending Toes in 2017. It has always been their goal to make sure that all clients have the very best service by training their nail techs as certified medical pedicurists and supplying them with a vast amount of knowledge in diabetic foot care and other issues our aging adults may face. In her spare time, she loves to color her hair. Can you guess the color of it today? She also loves to go on road trips and going to concerts. Get ready to put your best foot forward as we welcome Cindy Jorgensen, owner of Tinning Toes here to share her totally awesome insights on podiatric medicine. We're going to learn why we should see a medical pedicurist, the difference between a spa pedicurist versus a medical pedicurist. Tips on how to care for our feet and why it's so important to do so. And more valuable information. I am so glad I wore socks today. So Erin, help me welcome our guest, Cindy Jorgensen.

Erin: 1:48

Ferguson. Welcome, Cindy.

Cindy J: 1:49

Hello, it's so wonderful to be here.

Erin: 1:52

You like all of our little feet like little joke kind of things. What do you call them? There you go. Puns.

Cindy J: 1:59

We love puns at Tending Toes. Our little tagline is, it's a place for old farts and sassy tarts by caring hearts.

John: 2:09

Oh, I love that. That's

Erin: 2:10

Yep. I love that too. Okay, so the listeners, I'm sure, are wanting to know, what color is your hair today?

Cindy J: 2:17

At the present moment, it's a light purple.

Erin: 2:21

the present moment, it's

Cindy J: 2:23

Oh, there's so many to choose from. It's hard to choose.

Erin: 2:28

Which one's your favorite

Cindy J: 2:30

red, purple, and hot pink.

John: 2:33

Wow.

Cindy J: 2:34

my three favorites.

Erin: 2:36

I went red one year and I loved it, but I was like, Oh, sometimes I feel like I looked too pale. To carry all that red. So it's, but it's a fun color. Yes. Right. I agree.

John: 2:48

I agree. I agree. I'm just grateful I have hair. I'm, afraid of coloring it because it might fall out and, I may not have hair anymore. Not that there's anything wrong with that, so.

Cindy J: 2:57

I

John: 3:00

Yeah, love that. Any

Cindy J: 3:02

don't think there's anything wrong

Erin: 3:03

That's what makes life fun, right? It's just enjoying it So Cindy, you've been doing this, as John mentioned, since 2003. But where did the inspiration come from? Did you work in a salon doing pedicures there and then go into the medical field? Or how did you start?

Cindy J: 3:19

Actually, I was in the medical field first. I started in the medical field to take care of my mother who was terminally ill. So that's how I ended up in the medical field. And after she passed away, I was going to go back to management in, business like I was before. And my sister who is an RN said, No, no, no, you have to stay in the medical field. And I'm like, I don't know what I want to do in the medical field, though. St. Alphonsus called me for an interview for, home health aid. I was a CNA at the time. And They asked during the job interview, would you be willing to help out in our foot clinic? And I went, sure, if you tell me what that is, because I'd never heard of one before. And they said, oh, we do senior and diabetic foot care. And I'm like, we trim toenails. And I was like, oh, I've done that. I can do that. Not realizing the toenails I was going to be dealing with. And my very first day of work, they said, Oh, our foot clinics open today. Do you want to go and observe? And the very first client that came in, I the lady that was doing it, he had half inch thick nails and they were about two inches long. And she cut these all down and got them all looking pretty. And I was like, YES! That's what I want to do! And I went home and I told my husband, I said, I just found what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. And he said, what? And I said, I'm going to play with people's feet.

Erin: 4:51

He's wait, do you have a fetish? hold on.

Cindy J: 4:53

Where did that come from? And I was like, oh, it was the most amazing thing you ever saw. And I still have that passion. 20 years later, I'm like. Yes, I can't wait to help somebody and fix their feet and fix their toenails and give them advice and train people to do the same thing.

John: 5:14

Wow. I can't even imagine how many toes that is. if you really think about that's a lot of, that's a lot of toes.

Cindy J: 5:22

Oh, in 20 years? Oh, Yeah. Yeah. I can't even begin to tell you how many toes I've done.

Erin: 5:29

Okay, Cindy. So what is the difference between a medical pedicurist and a salon pedicurist?

Cindy J: 5:37

A medical pedicure, so with the state of Idaho and stuff, we are the only ones that are allowed to do diabetic foot care. regular salons, regular nail techs, technically they are not supposed to work on diabetics. But, if you don't tell them, they never ask if you're diabetic, Cause they don't want to know. And then they can do stuff that can be very dangerous for diabetics. A lot of the products that regular salons and regular pedicurists use are not diabetic approved. It can actually cause more damage to a diabetic's feet than help.

Erin: 6:16

you explain that a little bit more? Because I wouldn't know the difference, right? If I have diabetes and I'm just getting my feet taken care of. What are products, or what are things that, if I went to a nail salon versus coming to see you with a medical experience, how does that damage my feet, or how does it make it worse, or what products are bad?

Cindy J: 6:34

one of the things they use is they use the very, like the sandpaper type, foot files to work on calluses. It is such a sharp edges on that, that it can cause micro abrasions in the skin. And then another thing they'll use is a sugar scrub. When you have openings in your skin, you're diabetic, they put a sugar scrub in. The sugar will actually absorb through those into the skin, which is going to raise your blood sugar. So sugar scrubs and salt scrubs, because salt scrubs cause micro abrasions on the skin. Can open the skin up for infection and it can also raise the blood sugar if they're using a sugar scrub.

Erin: 7:17

Can you see I'm mind blown? Right? don't like that. I wouldn't think sugar going, just a sugar scrub would affect my levels,

Cindy J: 7:26

right? But it does and it can because it soaks into the skin. all of the products that we use are all diabetic approved. So the scrub that we use is actually A polished pumice, so there's no sharp edges on it, and it's a medical seaweed scrub that we use. and it never goes past the surface of the skin. So it doesn't soak into the bloodstream in any way. and another thing with regular nail techs, because I've went through the nail tech training after I had been a medical foot care professional. with the local hospital for five years before I went and went to school for a nail tech. And I was amazed at how little they teach about the feet. and on the state board exams, there's two or three questions about the feet, and the rest is all concentrated on the artificial nails. Regular nail techs and regular salons do not have a lot of training when it comes to pedicures and the feet.

John: 8:44

I think that as our population does get older, because we have one of the largest groups of, baby boomers that are starting to enter that age where they're going to need those services, that it's a little scary if you have the wrong. As you, but they haven't been trained on what products that are best to use and so forth. So you can almost do more damage than you're doing good. So that leads me into this next question of, what questions should people that are aging you know, ask when researching for a medical

Erin: 9:20

Pedicurist,

John: 9:21

I know that a lot of states maybe aren't even aware of this. so how do people get trained or licensed to provide that type of service as our population does age throughout the United States?

Erin: 9:34

Or where can our aging adults find someone like Cindy providing that service that's valuable.

John: 9:40

And is this a regulated service where an inspector comes into the salon to make sure that if they are providing that diabetic foot care, those services, that they are licensed to do that.

Cindy J: 9:54

we've had a lot of people that have retired to Idaho that they are coming from states that they have seen medical pedicurists in other states before. So they know to look up medical pedicures and when you look up online, hard to cut nails, diabetic foot care, that kind of stuff. We do pop up quite often. we work with a lot of the podiatrists, almost. Most of them, probably about 70 percent of the podiatrists in the valley that they refer their patients down to us for their maintenance foot care. when somebody is researching they need to see what type of licensing the pedicurist or the nail tech has. how long they've been doing it, a lot of, there's a lot of nail techs out there that even though they don't have the certification as a medical pedicurist, they've been a nail tech for, Um, so 20, 30 years. They've seen all of this stuff and they've learned ways of handling these situations and know how to work with people. that have major foot or nail issues. so they've. do their own research. They go to classes here and there, but they don't have the full certification. there are a couple of online places that nail techs can get advanced nail tech certification or medical nail tech certifications. there is a school in Canada, North American School of Pedology. That offers master pedicurist classes also Um, and they have their website that they people can go on to research to find a Master pedicurist that has went through the medical some medical training

Erin: 11:50

Can you say that again, so our listeners here if they are researching for a medical Pedicurist there is a website that they can go to

Cindy J: 12:01

Pedology And they have a list of their CMPs, their Certified Master Pedicurists that have gone through their course. And they are, they're pretty much all over the United States. So if you don't live in Idaho, where we're located, because I know we're the only medically based nail salon in the Northwest, you can find just these individual nail techs That have went through this class with, the School of Pedology.

John: 12:35

that's great. Yeah, that's great to know. Oh, for sure. And I think our listeners are going to be so appreciative because I think it is important to have the correct information so that you're seeing just not somebody that just maybe got out of school and is just starting in this world. And maybe doesn't understand because they haven't faced, but they're trying their best, Because, they don't realize that the damage that can be done if they're not trained in it.

Erin: 13:04

my medical pedicurist, what are questions that I should ask? say there's two or three or maybe just even one company. When I call and ask them and say, hey, I'm a diabetic, or hey, I have this foot issue or this condition of whatever it is, what are questions to make sure that they're the right fit for this client? What should I ask?

Cindy J: 13:26

I have never been on that end of it, of the question. I've always been on the answering end of the question. But asking the questions, that's a that's a little different thought pattern. most of the questions we get asked is, can you deal with somebody who has nail fungus? We do not use the big pedicure thrones with the jetted tubs and that kind of stuff, Cause you can't really disinfect them enough to get rid of any of the fungus, or bacteria or germs or anything from other people's feet. those jetted tubs are so hard to clean. cause you have to run disinfectant through them for like 20 minutes

Erin: 14:10

In between each person? in

Cindy J: 14:12

each person.

Erin: 14:13

Makes me not want to go. my toes done.

Cindy J: 14:16

So that is one thing. if you're going into a regular salon and you're waiting, watch and see are they actually cleaning those jutted tubs like they should before you step into them.

Erin: 14:29

Does the plastic that they put in them help? You know where they put that plastic barrier and then fill it up with water? It helps some, yes.

Cindy J: 14:39

because usually, once they drain it, then they throw that plastic barrier away and they can put a new barrier in. So those actually do help quite a bit. So if they use the plastic barriers, that's better. But, they still have to clean the jets out. Even with the plastic barrier, that's going to be where you set your feet down is fine. But when they turn off and they drain, there's still dirty water in the jets. So if they don't blow those jets out and disinfect that jet line, when they turn those jets back on, you're getting the dirty water from the

John: 15:15

Previous client. Yeah. Obviously I haven't gone and had my feet worked on, in my life, actually. I've never

Erin: 15:24

gone for

John: 15:24

pedicure. So

Erin: 15:26

You have.

John: 15:28

I don't remember that.

Erin: 15:29

right. Your very first one and you fell asleep because it was so amazing.

Cindy J: 15:34

they are, pedicures are amazing. It,

Erin: 15:36

Yeah, it's the foot rub part, right? That's all of our favorite parts. What are some of the other questions that they should ask?

Cindy J: 15:43

Um, Cleanliness is always a good thing. get a lot of questions about whether we can handle the thick nails or ingrown toenails or anything like that.

Erin: 15:55

Is it okay to ask like what your procedure is? Like when I come in, what does that mean? You're going to take care of my foot. How do you do that?

Cindy J: 16:01

we are medically based, so we have a client come in for the first time, we do a full, medical charting on them. every client has a medical chart that we keep on them. We map out all of the issues with their feet, bone structure, arch structure, nail structure. everything. And we map it all out. because we, like I said, we work with a lot of podiatrists, We keep track of any changes in their feet. And if the podiatrist wants to have a copy of it, or if they want to take a copy of the information to their podiatrist, they can show how their feet have changed over the last 6 months since they saw them. and then, unlike most if you go in for a pedicure, you sit down and they don't tell you anything about what they're seeing or what they're doing. We explain everything before we start, what we're going to do, what procedure we're going to use to fix whatever issue they have going on. We tell them what issues they have going on, whether it's bunions or hammer toes or involuted nails or skin fungus or whatever. And we recommend products that might help them. Whether it be an orthotic product or a skin product or whatever. So all of that is explained along the way on the first visit.

John: 17:29

Wow. Very thorough. I'm literal, now I'm mind blown because, I never thought that there was so much involved in this, but I think that, gosh, that's so great. So one question I'm curious about is how quickly do our. Feet change. How long, like when you're taking care of people or clients, all different types of clients, how quickly do you see change happen in their feet? And how often should they come in and see you to provide those caress?

Cindy J: 18:01

The changes in the feet can happen at different rates for different people. It depends on what's caused the issue, as we age. Our feet are going to change no matter what we do. the damage that we do to our feet through our lifetime, shows up usually when we hit our fifties. So all of the stuff we did for the first 50 years of our life, damaging our feet, our tendons, And the muscles and the ligaments and everything keeping the feet in the position it should be in. Start giving out at around age 50. So those tendons start tightening up, the ligaments start, the synovial fluid in between the joints start giving away. Same within our, our spine or our fingers with arthritis. And sometimes it can change very rapidly. And other times it can be a... A 10 year span before you go, hey, when did that bunion happen? Cause you just, it changes so slowly you don't notice it. Until you start getting a sore spot. And other times it can happen very quickly.

John: 19:15

Wow, that's just, that's amazing.

Erin: 19:17

Okay, I am going to be embarrassed to ask this because I probably should know this, but I don't. But what exactly is a bunion and what causes a bunion? Bunions can

Cindy J: 19:26

Bunions can be caused by a few different things. high heeled shoes. basically it is the joint underneath the big toe. It will start Curving in towards the other toes. So all of a sudden your foot will have this big bulge off to the side underneath the big toe. And your big toe is laying over the top of your other toes. Or, laying under. Sometimes they go under, sometimes they go on top. So it just depends.

Erin: 19:58

and it's curable? fixable?

Cindy J: 20:00

No. we do have products. that will help and relieve the pain of them and help slow down the formation. But once a bunion starts forming, the only way to stop it is surgery. And sometimes even surgery doesn't stop it completely. It holds it off for five years. And, then it'll start forming again. It's just, it's a temporary... fix. Everything we do is a temporary fix. Especially when it comes to our joints and that kind of stuff. knees, hips, shoulders, all of those replacement surgeries, they only last for so many years. It's the same with the bunion or hammer toe surgeries.

Erin: 20:44

What is a hammer toe?

Cindy J: 20:46

a hammer toe is when instead of the toe being straight, it curls up and the middle joint is sticking up above the other toes.

Erin: 20:55

What can cause that or what are some of the causes

Cindy J: 20:58

wearing shoes too small. usually the second toe on the foot. If it is longer than the big toe, we see a lot of them that are hammered because, like, when I was a kid, and this is the same way I did with my children until I learned all this, My parents, when my mom would take us to go buy new shoes, she goes, where's your big toe? And she'd feel where the big toe was. if that second toe is longer, than when you put on those shoes, it's constantly hammered. It's Pushing that toe into that position for all your life. it's making that toe push back. And then the tendon will atrophy underneath and then just keep that toe in that position. So you have a nice little hammer toe that just sticks up there Because you've always pushed the, toe, and so the body's natural. mechanisms, natural way of it works. It's oh, so you only want the toe that long. Okay, so we'll just make the tendon that long. That way your toe doesn't set flat anymore.

Erin: 22:05

You had mentioned that by the time we were 50, all the pain would happen, or that's normally when it starts showing up, all the damage we've done to it. What are things that we're doing that's causing that damage?

Cindy J: 22:17

there's so much damage that we do to our feet through our lifetime that there's no way to avoid it. Running, jogging, playing sports, not wearing the proper shoes, wearing high heeled shoes, wearing, the pointed toe cowboy boots. For men are the same as women wearing high heels with pointed toes. it just pushes your toes into that position. And if you wear them constant life, toes and the joints and everything are just going to stay that way.

Erin: 22:49

So John and I should be okay because we wear flip flops a lot. We love putting our feet out in the sunshine. Except

Cindy J: 22:56

Our feet are our ground force. They're our base of our body. weight gain can cause uh, arch to fall. we're weakening of the arch, the muscles and the tendons and everything that holds the arch in place, the bones. as we age, we gain weight or just the slalom skiing. A young person at the age of 30 could have to have knee replacement surgeries'cause it's so much damage to the knees. But they love doing it, so they're gonna do it, There's a lot of things that we don't think of as damage to our feet, but our body's natural defense system, classifies it as damage. you wear shoes too tight, you're a runner, you run downhill a lot, your toes are getting smashed into the end of your, shoe, our body. clicks as, oh, that's damage. We need to protect that area better. So it makes your nail a little bit thicker. Every time you do little things that we never see as damage. But our bodies does. Our internal defense system sees it. Oh, we need to make that toenail thicker. We need to do. I always call the little toe the nighttime furniture finder. And So many people will have a lot thicker little baby toenail than. Any of the other toenails, because they've stubbed it so many times over their lifetime. That the body's natural defense system will just make that nail a little bit thicker.

John: 24:25

Wow. I I've stubbed that little toe many times.

Cindy J: 24:28

Yeah, and it usually takes about 50 years for you to see the thickness. starting. It's just, it's a slow process, the changes in our nails, So.

Erin: 24:38

Earlier, we had talked about before we started recording about how sometimes doctors don't realize if you have hip and knee problems. issues, it could be the cause of your feet. And so I don't know if you could go into that just a little bit more.

Cindy J: 24:52

there are times that because of pressure points, because of calluses, because of bunions, because of the hammer toes, because of the fallen arches, it causes us to walk with a different gait than what we should. if you have... a very heavy callus on your right foot, you're actually going to be putting more pressure on your left foot and turning that right foot a little bit because it hurts to step down on that big giant callus that's underneath, on the ball of the foot underneath one of the joints. So it hurts. our subconscious will mentally Kind of change our gait and change the way we walk. To compensate so it doesn't hurt as bad. when we do that, it throws our knees and our hips off. And our back off and that kind of stuff. a lot of times when people have, their hip will hurt. They don't know why their hip is hurting, but it's because they're walking sideways because their foot hurts. we have a lot of senior clients that go in for hip and knee surgery and that kind of stuff and it's before you do that, make sure, you get your feet. And I think, I honestly think doctors should recommend that more. Let's go have your feet looked at first, see if we have any major issues going on with your feet. before we go replacing hips and knees.

John: 26:24

You're so right. people that are out there and maybe they notice that, they're starting to have a little knee pain, right? Or a little bit of hip pain or something like that. They might not connect it. With their feet, they might say, Oh my gosh, I've been favoring, this foot a little bit because I have a callus or I have a bunion or I have some of these other things that you've named and they just connect their hip to maybe I'm just getting old and I have hip problems or, I'm sleeping on it wrong or whatever. They don't realize that this is the foundation of your entire body and we do, we spend a lot of time. Up on our feet, walking around. We need our feet, right? They're essential for shopping, for entertainment, for all the things that we love to do in life. We need to take care of our feet.

Erin: 27:11

So maybe what they do is when they go to their doctors, say, Hey, I'm having these issues with my knee and my hip, but I also want to make sure my feet aren't the cause. Can you write a prescription to the podiatrist so we can have a conversation with them? Is that what you would suggest?

Cindy J: 27:27

yeah, they can actually think, I would always suggest. them going to a podiatrist first. so the doctor would then be able to look and see if there's any major bone structures that need to be fixed beforehand. and then they'd refer them out to either, orthotic specialists like, which they do custom orthotics. for diabetics and such and, The Good Feet story is another one that does, they don't do custom made orthotics for arch supports, but they do custom fitted. So they have Right, And in the souls And they're very good at mapping out the foot and figuring out, know, what arch to use. like I said, with Rosendahl's, they do custom made ones. So they actually take an impression of the foot and they custom make the insoles To help with any pressure

John: 28:26

I just can't even believe how much we're learning from you. So when it comes to, Obviously, I don't go and get my fingers taken care of. I don't go get med medis or pedis

Erin: 28:37

Is it

John: 28:37

you call those. Yeah, it's obvious. it's definitely obvious. but I'm starting to think the importance of it, right? The importance. Now, do you just see clients that need medical care? Yeah. pedicures or, do you see other clients as well? And, yeah, if somebody just wants to come in or do The majority of your clients, are they just people that had been referred by a podiatrist

Cindy J: 29:02

we have a lot of clients that, Podiatrists refer to us, a lot of home health agencies refer to us, the wound care clinics refer to us. And we refer to them all the time also. if we have somebody come in and it is beyond the scope of practice of what we're allowed to do. So we do not do any type of wound care. So if they come in with Okay. a severely ingrown toenail and a major infection going and that kind of we don't touch that. we can't do anything about that. That has to be. sent to a podiatrist and it has to be surgically removed. We can remove little minor ingrown toenails that are, like at the end of the toe. But if they're deep down and there's a major infection going, we refer them out. we don't touch that kind of stuff. We, know type of wound care. But we work very closely with a lot of, The medical facilities, St. Al, St. Luke's, all of that, so they know we're in existence. And usually what they do is they send them to us for what they call maintenance foot care. And that's that's just to, they come every, about every six to eight weeks is an average visit, in between visits. And we take care of their calluses, we take care of their corns, we clean all that. Excess dead skin off their feet. we keep the nails from becoming ingrown. because there are, there is a proper way of cutting toenails so it doesn't cause an ingrown if you cut them the wrong way. You can actually cause an ingrown toenail.

Erin: 30:42

How do you cut toenails? I like, if I've been doing it wrong? I don't have any ingrowns, but I want to make sure.

Cindy J: 30:50

Toenails. look really nice. See, it looks like you cut them the right way.

John: 30:54

Wow. I'm not taking off my socks. I don't care what happens here. Does insurance cover any of this ever?

Cindy J: 31:02

Occasionally. When we have people ask us about insurance coverage, what they have to do is they need to get ahold of their insurance company, whoever they go through for health insurance. Some of them will cover maintenance foot care, and some of them do not. you have to ask your insurance company, do you cover maintenance foot care? most of the insurance companies that cover maintenance foot care in Idaho know who we are And they accept our receipts for the medical pedicures and will reimburse Them for our services. So They still have to pay us and Then with the receipt they can submit it to their insurance company for reimbursement and the insurance company will pay them back The insurance companies will only pay for the medical pedicure. If they want toenail polish put on, then they won't pay for that portion of the pedicure. They will only pay for the medical

John: 32:03

But that's great that some insurances do cover that because, a lot of people are on these very fixed incomes, right? And they don't have a lot of money yet. We don't want that to be a deterrent from them getting the necessary care or going to a medical Pedicurists because, I think that there's some people that might have their son or daughter do it or somebody else do it and that could create some issues if they don't understand the correct way to take care of those feet and then making things way worse, for the medically, creating a situation where they need some emergency care.

Cindy J: 32:41

so we offer in home care also. for individuals that are homebound that cannot get out of their house, we will actually go to their home and do the medical pedicure in their home.

John: 32:53

that a lot more money,

Cindy J: 32:54

It is more expensive just to cover with the time and travel to get to them and then,

Erin: 32:59

But so beneficial. for people that wouldn't have the Opportunity to get there and

Cindy J: 33:03

right, And we actually help. Like you were saying, sometimes the kids and everything, especially if they're a low income, will help train the family on the best way to take care of their feet And everything, certain things to do, with and drying their feet, and how to take care of their calluses, or how to cut their nails in the proper way, so that they're not having any pain from... The nails that they're curved or, anything like that. So we actually try to help with the families, too So we're not you know, we're not doing it just oh, we don't want you to know how we do this because we want to make the money. Now We're here to help everybody and stuff So we actually have trained family members on how to take care of their family members too.

Erin: 33:54

Can I just come and make an appointment? like And just anybody, like I just want my feet mapped out. See where I am, so maybe every year if I did an annual, going on how my feet are progressing,

Cindy J: 34:04

Yes, and we do have some people that they only come in maybe twice a year. we have other ones that they come in every four weeks. So we see them every single month. So it just depends on your comfort level. And that's how we... Reschedule everybody is their own comfort level how much they're able to do on their own in between visits Um, so we do have a lot of clients that in between visits are able to Maintain their nails enough that it keeps them comfortable But then they'll have one or two nails that no matter how hard they try they just cannot get to them. So when those start bothering them, then they'll call and come in again

John: 34:47

so when it comes to taking care of your nails, your feet and so forth, I'm just really curious. Is there a big difference in the cost of a normal pedicure versus a medical pedicure for our listeners that kind of are curious on, gosh, where do I start? because a lot of people are looking at their budget. Is this something I know it's important, but they're thinking, gosh, can I afford this? Yeah. Can I afford doing this? Is there a major cost difference in,

Cindy J: 35:14

it depends on what nail salon you go to for Um, pedicures,

Erin: 35:21

because I could easily spend 100 getting the extra massage while I'm getting a pedicure at a spa. Right? Um.

Cindy J: 35:29

So yeah, some of the higher end spa ones are more expensive than we are, but some of the, Chain nail salons I guess, they could be a lot cheaper than what we are. But they're the ones that kind of... just cycle people through as quick as they

John: 35:49

Yeah. I think what you do is amazing. And, I think our listeners to, especially I love that you brought up even us men, right? Us men don't really think of things like that, right? we push that off. We don't think of that as something important for us. We're like. I go buy some tires for my Jeep, right? You know, I don't want to go do this. I want to go do that. I don't want to spend the money having my toes pampered. But, I'm sure your majority of clients happen to be women. Am I correct? No,

Cindy J: 36:18

you are not.

John: 36:18

if you could explain to our listeners that I'm wrong.

Cindy J: 36:22

are wrong.

Erin: 36:22

listeners.

John: 36:23

That's

Cindy J: 36:23

That's what I was saying when you were saying that. So one of the things that I have done. Over the years is a lot of our marketing has been to let men. know We're not a foo foo nail salon like their wives or daughters or whatever have taken them to before and they're uncomfortable in We're very comfortable for men 70 percent of our clientele are men.

Erin: 36:54

you know why? Cause she's serving them whiskey and

John: 36:57

Oh, I didn't know that. I'll book an appointment tomorrow then.

Cindy J: 37:03

they love our tagline about being old farts. And it's like, I'm an old fart. I can go there. And we had quite a few commercials of, two old farmers talking and, and Um, The men have just felt comfortable coming in.

Erin: 37:18

It's relatable to them.

Cindy J: 37:19

We do not have, the pedicure thrones like most nail salons do. What we have is actually podiatric exam chairs. because of what we deal with, if we have a diabetic that has a cut on the back of their heel, We need to be able to look at it. We need to be able to see what we're dealing with. We need to be able to know if they need to go to the wound care clinic or just go see their doctor. so we can lift them up and we can raise them up. So we're sitting right underneath their feet and looking up and we can look at anything.

John: 37:52

Wow. Almost like a mechanic shop of the feet. You got lift chairs like those lifts and shops where they raise the car up. Instead you're raising the human up so you can fully evaluate their feet at all angles.

Cindy J: 38:06

Yeah, When we bring'em down, we call it our senior roller coaster. Wow. Because it goes really slow so they don't get dizzy. Yeah.

Erin: 38:13

That's awesome. What are things If people are listening, I don't know if it's bad for my feet or not. What are things that people should pay attention to in their feet and go, Oh, maybe I should see somebody about this

Cindy J: 38:26

until I started doing, foot care, I never thought about my older relatives if they needed help with their feet. Like my grandmother. My grandmother, when she passed, she was 90 years old. And that was before I started doing foot care. But I never saw her without her slippers on. And a lot of seniors and and elderly they've always got socks or shoes or something on, and the younger generation, the younger family, the kids, grandkids and stuff, we never think about going, you know, And most of them, the pride that a lot of the older generation has, especially the 80, 90 and 100 year olds, which we have quite a few of those in that age bracket. They don't want to admit they can't do something for themselves. it's a pride thing, and I get that, and I understand that, but One of the things that I think the seniors need to look for is if you can't reach past your knee anymore then you need to get some help. And it's okay to ask for that help with the lower part of your body. That you can't reach anymore as we age. We can't bend over as as well. Our back isn't as flexible. Our hips aren't as flexible. Our knees aren't. We can't turn our foot upside down. Put it behind our head like we did when we were five. No.

John: 39:53

able to do that, Cindy.

Erin: 39:54

Yeah.

Cindy J: 39:56

No. even by the time we hit the age of, 40, we're not as flexible as we were before. I can still reach my feet, but I hate cutting my own toenails because it's uncomfortable for my

Erin: 40:09

to my back.

Cindy J: 40:09

That's not

John: 40:10

that's not another reason why I'm with Erin. She doesn't realize it yet, but I'm going to expect her to give me the best possible foot care as I age.

Erin: 40:18

This girl has no foot fetish, I will not be touching feet. I'm sorry. I love you. I will hire somebody.

John: 40:25

I'm sorry. I that I know that, I

Cindy J: 40:26

There's tending toes. There you go.

John: 40:28

Yes.

Erin: 40:29

Your future client right

Cindy J: 40:30

There you go. Tending Toes can take care of you.

John: 40:33

So can you share some insights and, some ways that we can really, take care of our feet.

Cindy J: 40:39

So one of the things that we always suggest is that if you have calluses on the bottom of your feet, you want to use, a metal foot file. You do not want to use the sandpaper ones. You don't want to use the cheese grater ones. they look like a zester. They actually sell some that look like that for your feet. And they will just shred your skin. And what happens is that when you use those really rough foot files that actually cause the micro abrasions in the skin. The body is going, hey, there's some damage down there, we need to build a callus, which is what you're trying to get rid of, we need to build a callus to protect that area more. So your calluses will actually get thicker if you use those, along with having the microabrasions. the foot files that we use and the foot files that we sell actually have an etched coarseness onto them. they're rounded coarseness, so you don't have any sharp edges, it's it's not going to shred the skin, and they don't dull like all the other ones do. can actually buy one of these and it'll last you for the rest of your life.

John: 41:53

men out there, don't whip out your Dremel tool on your calluses,

Cindy J: 41:56

No, do not use if you have thick toenails. do not use your hedge trimmers. or, sheet metal, Snips, to cut your toenails, I've had, I can't even tell you how many men that have come in and said, when I cut the end of my toe off, I decided it was time to have somebody else,

John: 42:16

do goodness. my parents don't realize this, but we're going to be going out there for Thanksgiving and a couple of days after Thanksgiving, I'm still going to be there and I think I'm going to yank off their socks where they're sitting in their easy chair to inspect their feet and see how

Cindy J: 42:32

And that sounds. Like a joke, but it's not, We need to ask our elderly relatives and you can ask them and they'll go, Oh no, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. look at them. and sometimes what they say is fine just because, as I was saying before, with the damage and the way we wear our feet, as our nails are growing and if they're getting too overgrown, they will actually curl around toes, they'll curl around the foot, they'll curl up over the top of the foot, they can deform the toes. If the, if a toenail gets too thick and it's grown out and it's being pushed into a shoe, it will actually turn the toe sideways so that there's room for it. And they get used to, because it's such a slow progress, the nails really do grow slow. And it's such a slow progress that they just adapt, they walk differently. They put their shoes on or socks on differently, or they get different size shoes to help. that, when you ask them, they say, Oh no, my feet are fine, I don't need any help with them. But that's because they've just adapted to the way it is. Not the way it should be.

John: 43:57

or maybe they have more pain in a different area of their body that they're focused on.

Cindy J: 44:02

It's a harder time, they. They get a different gate because their feet are hurting and that's why the other things hurt. But also, neuropathy is another issue that... if you're diabetic, almost everyone who's diabetic will develop some type of neuropathy in their feet, which is, losing a feeling in the feet. It's nerve damage. It's nerve numbness. they don't really feel what's going on with their feet. but 50 of non-diabetics as we age will develop neuropathy. So if you think of, our nervous system and our nerves is like electrical cords. How many times have you had, an electrical cord that it's gotten a little frayed and then you move it just right, you can get it to work. our nerves are that way too, so our nerve endings, most of the time they don't We don't have feeling on the surface of our skin or, a few layers down. But if you move just right that nerve will go, oh here I am. And then you get a pain, most of the time as we age we'll start getting neuropathy in our feet and that's another thing that happens with our senior adults is that they don't have as much feeling so It's like, they, they can feel stuff on their feet, but it can be that it's like they're wearing a pair of socks all the time. So they can still feel some pressure, but they can't feel completely. So they'll have the toenails or the bunions or the hammer toes or the calluses or corns or whatever that you look at it and you know it's going to be painful, but they can't feel it. So they don't know.

Erin: 45:49

So when looking at feet, as a family member, looking at say my grandparents or my parents feet and I'm trying to observe them, what can I look for, what should I look for?

Cindy J: 46:02

if their toes are really close together and overlapping, so as we age we get arthritis too, so a lot of times The toes won't spread apart like they used to. You actually want to look at their feet. You want to look in between their toes. And see if there's any skin breakdown. a lot of times when we can't reach our feet anymore, they can't clean in between the toes. So they have a lot of buildup of just debris from sock lint, from bed lint, from our feet is the catcher and when they're in the shower and they're washing, even if they're sitting down and they, everything gets rinsed off but it lands on the feet. So all of this, the soap and the dirty water and that kind of stuff, it ends up being on the feet and then they just let them air dry because they can't reach their feet to dry them with a towel. So that stuff builds up just like, soap scum on your, on the hard water deposits on your shower door. That can build up on our skin too if we don't wipe it off and clean it off with a towel and dry it properly. So a lot of times you'll see that kind of stuff on the feet with our senior adults. And it's just because they can't bend over that far anymore.

Erin: 47:18

And it's what might be building up, if anything, maybe the coloration of the skin maybe, if we've noticed like a yellow or a bruised toenail, or Maybe something puffiness, like one toe looks bigger than the other, maybe something's going on?

Cindy J: 47:33

there's so many things to look at on the feet. But you wanna look at skin and that kind of stuff. Sometimes the color of the feet will tell you how much blood circulation they have going in the feet. swelling is more of an edema, water retention type thing on whether or not they need to have, compression socks or something. we have a lot of people that the doctor has told them to wear compression socks because they have so much fluid retention in their lower legs because our circulation isn't good after we get past the age of 70. We just don't have the circulation like we used to. do you

Erin: 48:08

find that it's beneficial when you see someone that's been on the compression socks for a while? When you first saw them they weren't, and then now they're on it, do you notice a huge difference in their feet?

Cindy J: 48:17

Oh yeah, big difference. Yeah, it does. It helps so much. The compression socks help so much. but They're very difficult to put on, and unless they have somebody every day to help them put them on and take them off, most time they can't wear them. It's not that they don't want to, they physically cannot put them on. There are sock aids that you can buy to help, so you can put on socks without being, having to bend over.

Erin: 48:44

Do they just open up into

Cindy J: 48:46

There is probably about 10 different styles, so you would have to look and investigate, just look up sock aids online. And then you would look at all the different types to see which would work best for you.

John: 48:59

Oh, that's great to know. I was discussing how going to my parents house I don't think they have a medical, a pedicurist that's close by. I think they pretty much just manage and take care of those things themselves. However, if I did see some things, could I pay you? Could I take some? pictures of their feet and then I could share those photos with you and pay you for some advice

Cindy J: 49:22

We do. consultations with people. Yes. For different things. So yeah, we can help with the family and stuff. And that's, a minimal charge. It's not too much.

Erin: 49:31

I

John: 49:32

That to be such a huge demand for it in the future to be really honest. I think that, instead of just people going in and having their toenails or fingernails clipped and painted, to have somebody that really has the

Cindy J: 49:43

We call those foo

John: 49:45

Yeah. Yeah.

Cindy J: 49:47

foo pedicures is just... The massage and the nail painting,

John: 49:50

I know for one, I am going to schedule an appointment because I want an evaluation from you guys and have you guys look at my feet Maybe give me some pointers on, John, this is something that you should be aware of as you get older. And right now I can manage it, but maybe come in here once a year, twice a year to, to stay up on it because,

Erin: 50:09

Well, she even mentioned like the bone structure, right? Like, I know I have a spot at the bottom of one of My big toes. I'm like, that's just been there forever, but I'm hoping that it doesn't turn into something. down

John: 50:19

Yeah. And I noticed that is something I've just noticed now that I'm past 50 is, I throw on a pair of running shoes when I used to normally never have any issues, but I'm noticing certain hotspots where like certain parts of my foot feel like. It's a little sore right after I get done with the run, like before that never happened. And so it's just gosh, my foot structure could be changing and I need to become more and more aware of that because I do, I, one of the reasons we started this company connected and power was because we want to live life to its fullest as long as we can. and. The feet are such an important part of that, right?

Erin: 51:02

right? Hold on. The feet are the important part. That's why you should give me massages every night.

John: 51:06

Oh, I think that should be a mutual thing. Not

Erin: 51:10

I'll hire

John: 51:11

for our listeners, you

Erin: 51:12

I don't do feet.

John: 51:13

Oh, nice.

Cindy J: 51:14

Just put on a pair of gloves.

John: 51:16

Yeah.

Erin: 51:16

Just go for it.

John: 51:17

you, Cindy. Thank you.

Cindy J: 51:19

wear a pair of gloves.

John: 51:20

Yeah. if I'm doing yours, you have to do mine. That's how it works.

Erin: 51:23

mine are taken care of and very pretty. Yeah.

John: 51:25

but I think I love to hike. I love to backpack. I love to snowboard. I love to do all these things. that bring value to my life. And I don't realize that I'm really taking a risk by not managing my foot care better. And so as I get older, I want to be snowboardy and I want to be doing all these things while I'm well into my eighties and nineties. But if I don't take care of my feet, that's probably not going to be the case. I think an

Erin: 51:52

Um, that's probably not going to ask, and I'm just thinking about it now is what do you consider the foot? Like, how much of this part is my foot? Is it just the top, the bottom, up to the ankle from down. Okay,

Cindy J: 52:03

Yeah.

John: 52:04

know. Did you think that from the top of your knee down was your foot? No, I

Erin: 52:11

Did you think that from the top of your knee down was your foot? Yeah, when we do the training,

John: 52:19

Okay.

Cindy J: 52:19

Yeah, when we do... the training. And I do education classes to certify people as medical pedicurist And I've certified people that work for home health agencies. cause I can certified nurses and wound care nurses. and that kind of stuff too, along with nail techs.

John: 52:35

Oh, that's awesome.

Erin: 52:37

Just, if there is anything that maybe we miss that you feel is super important that our aging adults know, this is super important.

Cindy J: 52:44

I think the biggest thing with the seniors it's okay. To ask for help. it's okay to admit, hey, I can't reach my feet anymore. I don't think it's as prevalent now as when I started 20 years ago, but I know 20 years ago, even probably 10 years ago, there was a lot of Senior adults that I would see that they didn't want to admit they couldn't do something because they were afraid if I can't do something, then I'm going to be put in a home. no, this isn't one of those things, That Your family is going to put you in a facility because you can't cut your toenails anymore, just because you can't reach your feet. I think that fear is starting to subside, because our society and our medical field has gotten to a point that we have so much home health care, and home care provided now that they're not as afraid to say, hey, I need more help. I'm glad to see that has changed. But it is okay to ask for help or admit hey I cannot reach this part of my body anymore and I need help. So we have some that, they wear trifocals. And they can still reach their feet but once they get them up there because of the trifocals they can't see what they're doing. And it's dangerous for them, to try and cut their toenails or they have neuropathy. They can't feel their feet so they don't know where they're cutting. They're doing it by feel because they can't get their foot turned in the right direction. So they're hoping they're cutting just their nail and they're, But it's good, especially when our toenails change shape and everything, and the skin around them changes also. that it's real easy to not be able to see how to cut the toenails properly. Our angle, we can see a lot better. and we can Not make you bleed.

John: 54:40

Yeah. Gosh, thank you so much. And I'm glad your services are out there. I'm glad that you have taken the time. work through the industry and become the expert on feet, And taking care of our feet and so forth, because obviously Aaron's not going to take care of my feet. I'm definitely glad that you and your company exists. And it's been such an educational process for me as a man, for sure. For sure.

Erin: 55:07

Well, I think Understanding the medical part, not going, Oh, that means there's a foot, there's something wrong with your foot. If you. have to go medically. But it's not it can be prevention being

Cindy J: 55:17

Exactly.

Erin: 55:17

something happens.

John: 55:19

definitely going to take better care of my feet

Cindy J: 55:21

Right. And I don't know if I had mentioned, so I am, podiatric assistant. I, I say the whole thing, it's CCPMA, but it's easier to just say podiatric a sentence because it's a really long thing, but, And all of the girls that work at Tending Toes have to be trained and certified in the medical aspect of foot care before they're allowed to work on clients.

John: 55:44

That's great. you got your last question there that excites you so

Erin: 55:48

much, does, it is always one of my favorites. And you mentioned this, that, you didn't mention it, I pulled it from your website. That you love to travel and so do we. So one of our questions that we'd love to ask is what is on your adventure list. what is it that you would love to do? Or maybe someplace you've been that you're like, oh my gosh, you guys have to go and do this.

Cindy J: 56:11

My husband and I just got back from San Antonio. We spent a week in San Antonio but, for our 25th wedding anniversary, because we both love golf also. We're hoping we're planning a trip to Scotland to go golfing in

John: 56:25

Wow. That would be amazing. The golf courses there. I've been, I'm not a golfer. I'd love to learn how to golf, but, the pictures of some of the golf courses there are just

Cindy J: 56:37

well, that's where golf started was in Scotland,

John: 56:40

either. Yeah.

Erin: 56:40

you why you picked Scotland. Scotland.

Cindy J: 56:43

We found a company that they do these week long tours and you get to go and golf. I think on either four or five of the golf courses you get to choose between Ireland or Scotland.

Erin: 56:54

and when are you guys doing that?

Cindy J: 56:56

hopefully in four

Erin: 56:57

Okay.

Cindy J: 56:58

because we just celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. So we've

Erin: 57:01

got four years

Cindy J: 57:01

to save up for Scotland. That's an

Erin: 57:05

trip. I know I'm gonna have share that with my mom and brother. They love to golf,

John: 57:08

Well, you definitely deserve it. the amazing care that you've provided so many people and people with, with really, truly the foundation of Right. Um, you know

Erin: 57:18

So thank you, Cindy. We appreciate your time for sharing your tips and tricks and all the little happy little feet things. I think of toes and I think of that, the happy feet, the penguin. Oh yeah. Yeah. So that's, I was like, Oh, look at those little dancing feet going. So we appreciate your time and your knowledge. I know I am walking away, more informed, really more about the importance of it. I know we need to take care of our feet, but definitely. How important it is.

Cindy J: 57:46

Yeah, and as we age, it's even more important.

Erin: 57:48

Yes.

Cindy J: 57:49

things, the older we get, the faster this things change in the feet. you know,

Erin: 57:54

And healing takes a little bit longer. for sure.

John: 57:58

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Connect Empower. We want to express our gratitude to you for being part of our community, and we hope today's episode has provided you with valuable insights and inspiration to enhance your life and that of a loved one.

Erin: 58:13

We are more than just a podcast. We are a community dedicated to enhancing the lives of our aging adults and their support system. We encourage you to visit our website now at www. connect empower. com. Explore more information about our guests from today's episode and to access our free resources.

John: 58:34

resources. Our mission doesn't end at the conclusion of this episode. We invite you to take action now by sharing the knowledge you've gained today with someone who may benefit from it. Whether it's a family member, friend, or colleague, your influence can spark positive change.

Erin: 58:49

Remember, Subscribing to our podcast ensures you never miss an episode and we have more incredible guests and resources in store for you. So hit that subscribe button and stay connected with us. Your commitment is the driving force behind our mission and together we can create a movement for a brighter future as we age.

John: 59:09

I'm John.

Erin: 59:10

I'm Erin. Until next Wednesday.