Can I hire someone to come to our home to cut my mother's thick, gnarled toenails, or must I take her to a podiatrist's office?

You would need to contact the podiatrists in your area to see who does house calls, and who takes Medicare.

You can also search for groups of physicians who make home calls. In my area, there are a few, a team of physicians with varied specialties.

If mother does not have diabetes you can hire anyone with the appropriate equipment and skills. If she does have diabetes you're better off finding a podiatrist who makes house calls ... or perhaps an RN who is trained in this.

In our area one of the senior centers host a monthly nail care day, attended by a trained RN. $30 worth every penny.