Kept on toes for 46 years was quite some feet
ONE of Dunedin’s longestserving podiatrists has finally decided to put her feet up, after 46 years in the profession.
Helen Rolfe will officially retire today, having helped keep an estimated 20,000 clients on their toes during her career, which is no mean feat.
The 68yearold has treated the feet of people from as far away as the United Kingdom.
‘‘I’ve been doing this so long, a lot of my clients have become friends.
‘‘One of them comes over here [on business] for a few months and then disappears back to England again.
‘‘The first thing he does when he gets here is give me a call to get his feet checked.
‘‘It’s because he trusts me and we get on well.’’
As her retirement date neared, Mrs Rolfe said she had expected her clientele numbers to ‘‘dwindle off’’.
‘‘But this week has been one of the busiest weeks I’ve had.’’
She had seen some
‘‘alarming’’ foot injuries and conditions over the years.
One of the most gruesome was caused by someone trying to fix their ingrown toenail with a pair of Tullen snips.
The toe was ‘‘an absolute mess’’, but he managed to avoid any serious complications.
Surprisingly, he was a surgeon, she said.
‘‘It’s so important to look after your feet — especially for diabetics and the elderly.
‘‘As you get older, you lose the nerves and sensation in your feet, and the circulation is not as good.
‘‘I’ve had people burn their feet on hot water bottles because they couldn’t feel how hot it was.
‘‘Someone actually got really bad burns when they were cleaning their feet. They put them in boiling water.’’
Mrs Rolfe said the profession was not a calling for her. Rather, she got into it by taking calls for the profession.
She began working for Scholl in her teens as a receptionist, after her mother visited a chiropodist there.
‘‘My mother went and had her feet done, and a lady there said, ‘you’ve got a teenage daughter — she should come in and answer the phones for us during the holidays’.
‘‘I started out as the receptionist and I worked my way up from there. That was how you did it in those days.’’
Many people think dealing with stinky feet is one of the downsides of podiatry, but Mrs Rolfe said it came with the territory and it was not a problem for her.
‘‘People are very apologetic about their smelly feet, but it’s not a problem.
‘‘I just use methylated spirits and it kills the smell of everything.
‘‘Stinky feet are often caused by an infection and it can be cured within two days.
‘‘So don’t be ashamed of your stinky feet because it can be fixed and cured.’’
In retirement, Mrs Rolfe said she planned to spend more time relaxing, enjoying her friends and family, and doing more gardening.
‘‘And I’m going to take some time off my feet.’’
john.lewis@odt.co.nz