(from left) Sharon Hartl and Denice Hanson provide a unique service for the people of all ages of Devils Lake and the Lake Region at the Devils Lake Senior Center; foot care.
Two very special people have been serving Devils Lake and the Lake Region area in a specialized and personal way for a number of years. Sharon Hartl and Denice Hanson, on their day off from their “normal” jobs these women provide foot care at the Devils Lake Senior Center for all who need it. Their services are for anyone, not just for seniors although their services are currently provided at the Senior Center.
Hartl lives in rural Towner County, but her address is Starkweather.
Hanson lives and works in Cavalier, ND.
What is involved with foot care?
First you need an appointment. You get that by calling the Senior Center and setting an appointment up on the days foot care is on their calendar, normally once a week, two or three weeks of most months. (weather permitting)
They keep regular records of each person they see, using a check-off list of patient-provided health issues and concerns.
When you first arrive, after paying the $25 fee, you sit in a comfortable chair and Hartl, the foot care assistant, brings a basin of warm water to soak your bare feet in while you wait for your turn. Normally the wait is just a few minutes, but the warm water helps clean and soften thick toe nails, calluses and dry skin. Each basin is lined with a plastic liner which is discarded after each use.
Hanson, a trained nurse, sits on a stool with wheels and lifts each leg into her lap, dries it with a small towel and one by one cleans and trims toe nails, carefully inspecting each foot to let clients know about any concerns to bring to their primary health care provider’s attention. When all the toe nails are cleaned and trimmed, she finishes each foot off with a dab of unscented lotion and a brief massage. All equipment used is sterilized after use.
What makes this experience special is how friendly both Hartl and Hanson are. Both have easy, delightful personalities that make clients feel comfortable right from the start. As a team they have worked together for many years and enjoy the people who have come to avail themselves of their services.
It is a consensus of many of their clients that foot care is a much needed and valuable service provided for everyone who is unable to care for their own for various reasons including age and physical limitations and abilities.
By the end of October of 2023, however, this service is coming to an end. Both Hartl and Hanson have given notice that as another North Dakota winter looms ahead, they will no longer be able to provide weekly or monthly foot care to the people of Ramsey County. It has gotten to be too much and they both need to retire. No more commuting on snow-packed or icy, wind-swept roads November through April!
So they have asked to put the word “out there” for someone to take their place, maybe a local nurse or two who would be willing to take over helping the people of Devils Lake and surrounding area with their foot care needs. Hanson says she received specialized training from nurses who came before her and through web classes on use of specific tools and techniques. They see roughly 15 to 16 clients each day and try to keep each appointment affordable for the clients.
If you or someone you know might be interested in learning more about this service to the community, contact the Senior Center 701-662-5061 and leave your contact information for Hartl and Hanson and they will get back to you.
