I was trying to help my mother-in-law with her toenails and holy cow, I wasn't prepared. Long, thick and curving nails aren't easy to trim. Any advice?

I would make an appointment with a podiatrist. They have the tools for those unwieldy nails! If you MIL would like a treat, then once those babies are hedged, then maybe a pedicure.

Medicare benefits pay for some in-home podiatrist services. Check her benefits.
She may be available for routine podiatry services at home.

Medicare pays for every 10 weeks for toenail cutting. They do get thicker as we age. I am having problems with my husbands.

Margaret in this forum recommends electronic side-cutters for toenail cutting. She says they work great. These are brand new ones u use.

Podiatrist. You don't want to risk infections.

Maybe consider a podiatrist. Sounds like you are dealing with the same thing as me. My clippers are no match for my mom's thick, curved, long toenails. I didn't want to risk a foot infection by trying to cut those things. Mom's under hospice care at my home and they sent a podiatrist to my house to trim her nails, using what looks like a dremel tool! They said they could come out every ten weeks paid for by medicare. I hope you find something that works for you.

Podiatrist! Esp if she has any neuropathy in her feet. She can get cut and not even feel it.

My Dh was walking around with a carpet staple in his foot, bleeding fairly profusely and he didn't feel it. Only b/c it snagged on his sock did he notice it.

I wait until after he's had a long soak in the tub and I massage his feet and cut those nails. He can't see them well enough and often leaves a 'shard' and guess who has the scratched shins to prove it?

Midkid brought something to mind. I went to the Podiatrist with Mom. He soaked her feet before he cut her nails.

Some pedicure people will come to the house. Ask around.

Podiatrist, no doubt. Those thick, gnarly nails require special clippers and foot soak prior to cutting. One also needs to mask and glove due to fungal contamination.

I do my mom's toenails at the MC unit only because she won't allow anyone else to do them and her bath is only once per week (yeah, for care costs just under 10k/month). As a retired RN, I know the limits, having done diabetic footcares over the decades. She has bad hammer toes on one foot that earlier surgery failed to correct and those nails, the ones that remain, are tough to cut and require some massage and gentle stretching of her toes to even get to them. Not a job for a layperson.

Your MIL would likely enjoy a mani-pedi more, but needs the specialized skills and tools of a Podiatrist. Just try to make the day special with a lunch or other special stop.

Podiatrist? Yes.

Did your MIL ask for your help with her feet? Or did you see she was in need & decided to offer?

Just wondering about the larger picture.. when some can't manage their own feet it can be due to so many reasons - mobility being #1.

I've been 'hinted at' to provide many services (for free) for a LO - mobility issues seem to mean they can't reach their wallet to pay 😜

The one appointment my mom truly looks forward to is the podiatrist. I would try that first since Medicare covers it and they can inspect feet and pick up on any problems that should be further explored as well.

This is a very good toenail clipper! Used with mom*s husband.

https://www.amazon.com/Podiatrist-Clippers-Professional-Pedicure-Grooming/dp/B07V72Z77W?ref=silk_at_search

You need to be very careful with these, they are very sharp and easy to use and nip the person you are cutting. I did that once in four years. Is she on blood thinners? Cumadin? Nipping around The toenail area could bleed alot.


The safest route is the podiatrist.

If you are going to go at it yourself then the type of clippers Gladimhere linked are the way to go, they should be available at your local drug store. I wouldn't try to get it done all in one go, give the feet a good soak and exfoliate and tackle the nails gradually, a millimetre at a time.

First visit for clean-up and check-up should be with a podiatrist. But then after that, if she doesn't have issues (like diabetes), and she can get up and into the salon chair then take her for pedicures. My 103-yr old Aunt looks forward to her appointments! We've been taking her for years.

If you're going to attempt to clip them yourself, make sure you soak her feet for a long time first. Ingrown nails in the elderly is a problem and very painful, so if you see this, maybe don't DIY.

Yes - get professional help from a podiatrist. Medicare will pay. I found a podiatrist that will make a house call for a $100.00 trip charge. As far as I’m concerned it is worth the money. Medicare still pays for the trim.

At her age only a podiatrist should be attending to her feet. Some podiatrists will do house calls. You don't want to be cutting her nails because many elderly do not heal from any kind of skin break, eg: accidentally nicking her skin. If she is diabetic it's even more important not to cut her nails; diabetics have special issues with circulation and healing. As a nurse we were taught to never, ever trim toe nails but to get a referral to the podiatrist. Don't use a nail salon either, too many chances of her getting a fungus or other infection, have her see a professional only.

My mother had thick, Thick, THICK nails, four times the thickness of regular nails. No exaggeration. I didn’t cut her nails, I ground them down. There was no chance of over cutting the nails. The grinder I used is actually made for pet nails, but her nails were so thick that regular clippers wouldn’t do. I bought the grinder from Amazon. Here’s the link.

https://www.amazon.com/Bonve-Pet-Upgraded-Trimmers-Rechargeable/dp/B09KBQKQMQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1GUF0UJMTDF1X&keywords=pet+nail+grinder+for+dogs&qid=1669655931&sprefix=pet+nail%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExM1dGUklUVVdOM0w0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODEzMDcyMUVDVTlYRURJWTVDVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjMyMDI5MTVTTUw2WklPTkxFOSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

When toenails are long, thick & curving, normally fungus is the cause. And fungus is very difficult to get rid of once it gets into the nailbed.

That fact aside, I would never allow anyone besides the podiatrist to touch my mother's toenails, ever. She was on blood thinners and had neuropathy in her feet and legs, so any slip of a sharp instrument could have and would have meant BIG trouble for her. Any tiny nick or blister she'd get required home health to be sent in for wound care, and took FOREVER to clear up. And she wasn't even diabetic. Just very old with poor circulation in her extremities.

Medicare pays for a podiatrist to cut your MILs nails (toe and finger) every couple of months (not sure the exact time frame), so that's the route I'd go if it were my MIL. I'd avoid the nail salon for the reasons I mentioned above. Especially with fungal type nails, which are very difficult to cut. Better safe than sorry, right? :)

Good luck!

Podiatrist.

First thing, is she a dietetic? If yes make the appointments for podiatrist. If not try doing it after her shower which will soften the nails for better trimming. Or you could have her soak her feet in a dish pan to soften them. Make her feel special about the process, you could massage her feet afterwards and paint her nails. Hope my thoughts help!

Podiatrist Medicare covers first visit and it’s like $75 the next visit

We have a podiatrist come to the house for both parents. Ask around for a recommendation.

My Dad pays a $30 co-pay for quarterly podiatrist trims. For that same money, I started taking him to a nail salon where they do a foot soak first, which makes those thick nails easier to cut/grind down. They don't do the medical wound check on feet, so we alternate.

With my Daddy his doctor insisted on a podiatrist! He said to me "you are not to do this you need a professional and I will prescribe it". I loved my Daddy's doctor. He really looked out for him and if I insisted or asked for something he really made sure I got it or told me where, who, how to get it.
That being said - You need to insist and don't let them tell you NO!

My husband was bedridden and his toenails were a mess. I asked at the local nail parlor where I have my toenails cut and they could not (or would not) travel locally to our home. I found a woman who does nothing else; and she came to our home and cut his toenails, washed his feet and generally treated him like a king. It cost $95 and was worth every penny.

thats what i did with my mom cuz i was afraid of cutting her and her nails didnt fit in my clippers so i made her an appointment for a pedicure. you could try a podiatrist first and see what they say.

A podiatrist is the best solution if they are very overgrown. Once they are trimmed normally, you can do regular maintenance at a nail salon.

I would definitely soak her feet for at LEAST an hour before the podiatrist appt. The thing about a podiatrist is they only have so many soaker tubs and time so they don't soak the toenails or calluses long enough before starting their trimming. Then they have like 10 minutes to do all their work.

My mother would come home from the podiatrist's office with her feet all bleeding and bandaged up. She couldn't put sneakers on for days. I'm shocked she didn't get infections.

It's not true that toenails thicken with age. My beloved MIL (God bless her) always told us to take care of your feet and teeth. When she died at age 90, she had all her own teeth and her feet looked like a 25-year olds! I'm not kidding. People just don't brush their teeth enough or take care of their feet. I'm just a Mom and caregiver and I've taken a pedicure course for caregivers. I'm 63 (as is my husband) and I give him and my daughters pedicures so they can properly take care of their feet.

There is a YouTube channel by the Meticulous Manicurist that has videos of elderly (and not so elderly) clients that she has totally transformed over the course of a year. Thick, curled, fungus toenails transformed. It takes a lot of work but it can be done. Here's her channel:

https://youtu.be/wghfZYhwq6g

There are dremel type nails kits out there. You may have to do it in stages. I would soak them first. You may not need a dremel then. Or call in a professional to come out the first time, letting them know what to expect. Expect to pay, unless you can find some senior services that do it free or low cost.

Oh those thick toenails. I bought one of those "the last nail clipper you would ever need" type of cutters but it didn't come with any directions, so I tried every which way to Sunday to get those to work. Even sig-other couldn't figure them out.

I was so surprised how quickly the nails went from easy to cut, to being very thick. I am ready to try wire cutters or tin snips !! Forget a nail salon, I cannot stand the smell of nail polish. So I use my small sewing scissors for now, while I can still see at that distance what I am doing :)