May is Foot Health Awareness Month and Wounds Canada would like to emphasize the importance of healthy feet particularly for those who are already dealing with pre-diabetes and diabetes. The disease often causes poor blood flow also known as peripheral arterial insufficiency and nerve damage also known as neuropathy. These conditions, if left untreated, can pose serious health risks to patients’ feet.

These conditions can lead to problematic ulcers and infections. Current statistics show that 15-34% of patients with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime and that 80% of lower limb amputations are preceded by a diabetes foot ulcer. Yet, many are preventable through regular, consistent and purposeful education. 

Wounds Canada offers many guidelines and tools to avoid such serious consequences. We strongly recommend that patients with diabetes undergo a diabetic foot screening, and a complete assessment and then receive personalized diabetic foot care advice including professional foot care and footwear guidance. 

This month join us in spreading awareness about foot health and the steps required to keep feet healthy and wound-free.

Join the conversation to learn more about diabetes related foot health!

• Get involved on social media! Follow Wounds Canada's awareness campaigns on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn and amplify our message throughout the month of May. We’ll be sharing additional information on healthy feet. Use the hashtags #FootHealthMonth #HealthyFeet #ActAgainstAmputation 

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• Talking about prevention of diabetes-related wounds and ulcers is the best way to increase awareness in your community as well as improve the lives of people at risk of diabetes related foot complications and their families. If you or your loved one is living with a diabetes related foot condition, use your voice to help raise awareness or share your experience with our team through our 'Our Voices, Our Stories' initiative.

• Check out Wounds Canada's resources for Patients and Caregivers to learn more about preventing diabetes related wounds that can lead to limb loss.
• Make a charitable donation to Wounds Canada to help us provide essential support and resources to those affected by diabetes related foot conditions. Your generosity can change lives! 
• If you are a policy decision maker you can implement the
  Foot Health Pathway for People Living with Diabetes. Such a pathway can support preventative measures and early intervention strategies to manage diabetes-related foot complications and can also lessen the relative financial burden on Canada’s health-care system. 

1. Foot health is essential for overall well-being, especially if you are at risk for developing wounds. Don't neglect your annual foot screening. Make sure to check out @WoundsCanada's tools and resources such as Inlow’s 60-second Diabetic Foot Screen and get regular foot check-ups and take preventative measures to avoid long term complications. #FootHealthMonth #HealthyFeet #ActAgainstAmputation  

2. Attention all healthcare providers, administrators, educators, researchers, and policy makers! @WoundsCanada's Foot Health Pathway is here to promote skin health and care planning for foot complications, using a holistic approach for personalized care plans. With green, yellow, red and orange domains, patients can receive appropriate care based on their specific risk. Learn more about this best practice standard that can be adapted to any health jurisdiction. #FootHealthMonth #HealthyFeet #ActAgainstAmputation 

3. Did you know that foot wounds can lead to serious complications, especially for people with diabetes? Taking care of your feet can help prevent these problems and improve your overall health. Make sure to prioritize foot health in your daily routine! Check out @WoundsCanada's Caring for Your Feet: Safe Foot Care if You Have Diabetes. #FootHealthMonth #HealthyFeet #ActAgainstAmputation 

4. May is Foot Health Awareness Month, @WoundsCanada invites you to join us in supporting the Wounds Canada Charity dedicated to advancing wound care in Canada. Your donation will help fund research, education and advocacy efforts that aim to improve the lives of people with wounds. Please consider donating today and help us make a difference #FootHealthMonth #HealthyFeet #ActAgainstAmputation

Wounds Canada's Healthy Feet is an innovative program that includes numerous resources for clinicians working with diabetic foot complications, including posters, brochures, screening tools and educational events, and for individuals living with diabetes and at risk for ulceration. Visit the Healthy Feet website for tools and resources for patients, clinicians and peer leaders.

In 2023 Wounds Canada joined forces with the American Limb Preservation Society, the Canadian Podiatric Medical Association and D-Foot International to create a Limb Preservation Alliance to address, promote and advocate for limb preservation. The new alliance aligns with Wounds Canada’s mission to enable health-care providers to improve their practice and ensure the best possible care for persons with wounds or at risk for developing wounds. 

Click here to view the Media Release.

Wounds Canada Charity

We can’t do this alone;
your support can make a difference in wound care in Canada.
Please donate to Wounds Canada today
to support our journey toward a common goal:
patients, families and health-care teams working hand in hand
to better prevent and care for wounds.