Margaret has been a regular at our Stay Well Wednesdays social club for several years. A familiar and friendly face, she’s always one of the first to arrive each week, ready to have a chat with TMDF’s team and her friends, and enjoy the refreshments on offer before activities begin.
Since she first joined us, one of Margaret’s favourite activities at our Wednesday club was our Accessible Keep-Fit sessions, which she usually took part in every week. However, last year, our team noticed a slow change in Margaret. She started to become more withdrawn when socialising, and began skipping the keep-fit sessions, preferring to stay seated. This was very out of character for Margaret, and it raised some serious concerns for our staff and volunteers. We also noticed that when Margaret walked, she moved with some visible hesitation and discomfort.
When one of our volunteers sat down with Margaret for a catch-up, she admitted that her feet had been causing her significant pain, making walking even short distances an incredible challenge. After moving to a more private room to discuss this issue further, our team learned that Margaret had become unable to care for her toenails due to her age and declining mobility. This had led to her nails becoming severely overgrown, and the skin around her feet was also hardened and had several foot sores. This made walking incredibly difficult, but Margaret told us she could not afford the treatments she needed to make things better, and had given up hope for her feet.
After our team researched several options, it became clear why Margaret had been struggling in silence for so long. A standard appointment for basic foot care can cost upwards of £50, a daunting figure for anyone on a fixed pension. For Margaret, paying that much would have meant a difficult choice between her physical comfort and her weekly essentials.
We soon recognised that many of our members faced similar issues, and though Margaret’s situation was the worst we had seen, we knew an urgent intervention was vital to ensure these individuals had access to the support they needed. We quickly established our Affordable Toenail Care service, which now runs alongside our weekly Stay Well Wednesdays sessions. This isn’t a medical podiatry clinic, but a practical and professional maintenance service delivered by our trained Wellbeing Assistant, Jenny.
Margaret was the very first beneficiary of this new service, and for just £6 she was able to get the care she needed in a setting where she already felt at home. By removing the financial barriers, we helped Margaret get to back to her usual, active self, without the stress of a hefty bill. She told us:
No longer sidelined by discomfort, Margaret is now back on her feet, walking with ease and fully participating in our keep-fit classes again. Beyond the immediate physical relief; this service also removed a significant mental burden for Margaret, allowing her to focus once more on the social activities she loves.
Do you or someone you know need help and support to get through a difficult time? We know that asking for help is not easy, just complete our contact form and we’ll be in touch with more on how we can help.
