Footwear worn by the over 80's: a community survey

Abstract

We have visited 96 people aged 80 or more, living at home, to assess patterns of footwear usage and difficulties associated with buying and wearing shoes. Of the 96 people, 55 spent most of the day wearing shoes and 41 usually wore slippers. Of 20 housebound subjects, 16 wore slippers for most of the day. Three quarters of the old people seen were able to buy shoes in person. 80% of the men wore lace-up shoes but half the women chose a slip-on style. Leather remains the material of choice for shoes worn by the elderly. Only five subjects complained of discomfort from their shoes and six had difficulty putting shoes on. A shoe horn was used by 20% of subjects. Special or surgical shoes were worn by only three people.