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My husband is mostly home-bound and needs toenails clipped, they are thick and I can’t do it. Looking for a nurse or aide to cut his toenails every few months.

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This is a chat forum for caregivers to elders you're on. Medicare pays for a Podiatrist to clip toenails every 3 months or so.
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Call your local Area Agency on Aging. They may keep a list of podiatrist who make house calls.

As noted above, Medicare will pay for this service.
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Yes, Medicare pays for a Podiatrist every 10 to 12 wks. A nurse is not supposed to cut toenails and definitely not an aide. Even in LTC a psychiatrist is called in.
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Igloocar Jul 2023
JoAnn29, there are nurse practitioners who are trained in foot care. I have used one for myself! They are reimbursed by Medicare in the same way a podiatrist is reimbursed.
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Call his doctor and as for in-home health. They can provide physical/occupational therapy in the home PLUS can send other providers directly to the home. One being, a podiatrist! There may even be podiatrists who make house calls in your area that Medicare will pay for (without going down the in-home health service road)
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If you are able to take your husband out, the people at the nail stores can cut those thick nails. On the other hand, I don't know if their license restricts them, however, you could ask for home service
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Take him to a clean sterile environment and someone with experience cutting men’s toenails, leaving not too short that they must continue cutting because they got it wrong the first time. I knew of a senior who had the doctor clip her nails and now she’s a double amputee at the legs because she got an infection and they kept it bandaged with no ventilation. Please keep an eye on your hubby!
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you could take him to a podiatrist, but I had better results with nail technicians.

Get a professional sanding nail groomer like the ones salons use to remove gel nail color. (At-home models are ineffective). Sand down the nails so they are a more natural thickness. He will even feel better!

You may be able to find a nail technician that makes house calls. They are generally more effective at making a difference in toenail comfort and gentler than podiatrists.

Try to get one that will address ingrown toenails.
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Igloocar Jul 2023
Medicare will cover the podiatrist, but not a nail tech. Also, the podiatrist is trained to look for other foot issues. A podiatrist has fairly close to the number of years of training that an M.D. has and can look after your husband's complete foot health. She/he will also know if your husband's feet suggest other possible health issues.
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A podiatrist would be my recommendation. A senior’s feet should be in the hands of a medical professional, especially in the presence of circulatory issues, diabetes, thinning skin, or certain meds like blood thinners.
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Good Morning,

I recommend a Podiatrist in the neighborhood especially if your loved one is on a blood thinner.

I might add that a nail tech, as someone else mentioned, I would NOT recommend. A "medical professional" on this one, in my humble opinion will suffice. The Podiatrist has the equipment to check for other things too along with recommended certain shoes brands.

Usually your health insurance will cover every 9 weeks or so. This will be an on-going issue. Not sure about homecare but the Podiatrist have all of the tools to make sure things are done in the proper way.

I take my mother to the Podiatrist every 9 weeks. I was too afraid to attempt this myself. There are some things I will not do like go to the Dollar Store and buy a pair of nail clippers. I put this one in the hands of a medical specialist.
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You might be surprised at those thick nails. I decided the podiatrist was not doing the job, couldn’t even notice a difference after a trim. I tried it and those thick nails were soft! No big deal. I do it now for my dad.
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My aunt, 94, is home bound due to advanced dementia. She has home hospice care and a wonderful podiatrist was recommended. Covered by Medicare.
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With my daddy I had a standing order through medicare for an appointment every three months with a podiatrist. If the order did not show up for his appointment I would call the authorization desk and remind them. If that did not work then I would call the podiatrist and they would call too. I made a schedule because he would not sit still for me. Blessings
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This should be covered by Medi-Care.
Call his medical provider and ask them for a referral (podiatrist).
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Home visit by podiatrist. They come every 8-10 weeks for us. Medicare Advantage covers this.
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SkyScraper Jul 2023
Hi BenchmarkKid, how do you get this kind of care going? Like the extra things besides Dr visits n pharmacy? My mom has medicare advantage and it seems she could be missing out on a lot because I’m unaware! Here we are going to a nail salon. What’s the best place to start so I can see the full extent of what’s available to her? I’m bummed there’s no official diagnosis yet and we’ve been at this for over 2 years.
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His PCP will need to make a referral for a podiatrist; or you may be able to call podiatrist directly; you can try that and they will tell you if you need a referral from PCP.
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Podiatrist
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Cacies Jul 2023
He is unable to leave the house
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Cacies: Medicare pays for a podiatrist to clip toenails every ten weeks. Perhaps you can locate a visiting podiatrist.
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