Passionate about podiatry

When podiatrist Georgia Dacres moved here in 2016, England’s loss was Dunedin’s gain – especially for the diabetes community.

Georgia moved to this country to be closer to her sister who was already here and to give her son ‘a more pastoral, outdoorsy lifestyle than he could get in Britain’.

A trained podiatrist, passionate about footcare, she was soon partnering with Diabetes New Zealand Otago to run a low-cost podiatry service. She says, ‘We realise that people living with diabetes often need a regular visit to the podiatrist, and one of those ways that we can help people attend is by just creating a very affordable price.’

EMPOWERING FOOTCARE WORKSHOPS

Another of Georgia’s aims has been developing footcare workshops. She first began running some in England and has continued to do so here.

This Diabetes Action Month, she will, for the first time, deliver a workshop focused mainly on locals who live with diabetes and who want to take control of their own footcare on a day-to-day basis. ‘We’re trying to get more people living with diabetes rather than health professionals to come along, although there will be some health professionals.

‘It’s going to be very hands on. This is anecdotal, but for most people living with diabetes, when they get that diagnosis, they find that their feet are high in their mind as a place which might possibly go wrong, and very badly. They've often heard, in the background, about gangrene and amputation, and often they're filled with an overwhelming desire to manage that end of their feet, but they don't quite know how to.

‘If I were to say to anyone in the general public, “How do you manage your teeth?” they would say, “Well, brush every day, do this, do that.” But if you ask someone living with diabetes about looking after their feet, often there’s a blank.

‘They're not sure what to do. They don't want to give up favourite shoes. They may not be able to manage it because they physically cannot reach. And so their feet can be this thing at the end of their body which are slightly threatening, which could go awry because they don't know how to care for them.

‘So in the workshop, I’m going to introduce ways that they can test themselves and self-screen, demonstrate how to cut toenails, go through the variety of nail clipping implements and foot creams that you can get, and so on.

‘We’re trying to give people the tools they need to say, “Right, I’m living with diabetes. This can be a positive experience. I can manage it myself ”… especially when it comes to diabetic feet.’

She says there are all sorts of tips she can show people. ‘There are devices that you can use that can get in between the toes, and, if you can’t see what’s inside your shoe and if it needs cleaning out, you can use a little vacuum cleaner nozzle … things like that. There is all this very practical advice that we can share.’

There is perhaps an extra urgency to ensuring people can look after their own feet now. ‘Covid has made it harder for people to see their podiatrists at times, so they need to know what to do.’

PODIATRY AS A CAREER

Georgia says podiatry is a hugely rewarding career. She decided on it as soon as she left school – although it was called chiropody back then.

‘I finished my high school A-levels and didn't get the grade that I wanted for med school, so my mother said to me, “Would you like to become a chiropodist?”

‘I had no idea what that was, so she said to me, “Go and find out.” I went down to the library, got out their huge book of careers, and I looked it up.

‘I always wanted to be a little bit different from everyone else, because everyone in my generation was becoming a teacher or a nurse, and, to them, podiatry was, “Oh, I really don't know how you could!” but I could see it wasn’t like that. It was a very exciting profession.’ She was accepted into the Chelsea School of Chiropody, Paddington, London, the following year.

In retrospect, she can see now that her life experience also helped shape her decision. ‘My grandmother suffered from diabetes, and she had a penchant for wearing pointy little slip-on court shoes, and eventually she lost her little toe. My father was a shoemaker and saddler, so footwear and feet were something that were in the background of my life from a very young age.’

Georgia is constantly aware of the wonders of the human foot. ‘Humans are unique in being bipedal. We are meant to walk upright. No other mammal does that, and I think that is a big part of what makes us human, apart from the fact we’ve got a ginormous brain.’

For Georgia Dacres, working with other people’s precious feet is a privilege.

CAREERS IN PODIATRY

A podiatrist's work includes diabetes care, sports medicine, and general podiatry.

A 2020 study* showed a growing shortage of podiatrists in Aotearoa New Zealand. As of 2019, there were 430 podiatrists who held an Annual Practising Certificate in the country, with most employed in private practice (many selfemployed). Only 8% were employed in the public health sector.

Demand for podiatry services is increasing here, but the number of podiatrists who can provide those services isn't keeping up.

As many in the diabetes community know, a good podiatrist can be worth their weight in gold. There is currently just one way to become a trained podiatrist in New Zealand – through AUT’s Bachelor of Health Science (Podiatry) in Auckland.

* doi.org/10.1186/s13047-020-00430-y

Georgia wears her Diabetes NZ 'Small Steps' socks – raising money for diabetes. You can buy a pair at www. diabetesactionmonth.org.nz