An Elderly Patient Comes to the Clinic with Her Daughter

An elderly patient comes to the clinic with her daughter. The patient is a diabetic and is concerned about foot care. The nurse goes over foot care with the patient and her daughter as the nurse realizes that foot care is extremely important. Why would the nurse feel that foot care is so important to this patient?

A) An elderly patient with foot ulcers experiences severe foot pain due to the diabetic polyneuropathy.
B) Avoiding foot ulcers may mean the difference between institutionalization and continued independent living.
C) Hypoglycemia is linked with a risk for falls; this risk is elevated in older adults with diabetes.
D) Oral antihyperglycemics have the possible adverse effect of decreased circulation to the lower extremities.