The Shoe Has to Fit the Foot You Have Now: Check the Width, the Heel Hold, and the Swelling Window Before You Buy

Say it first: the shoes your parent wore a while ago are not a reliable measure. Feet change length and width with age, with weight, and sometimes from one part of the day to the next. If the slipper keeps sliding off at the heel or the sneaker pinches across the top, the shoe is the wrong size for the foot you have now. That is not a failure on your part or your parent's part, and it does not mean the next pair has to be the last trial.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Measure the feet, not the box

Measure both feet, not only the one that seems worse. Feet are often different sizes, and the larger foot sets the fit. Measure length and width with your parent standing and weight on the feet, because a foot measured flat on a bench reads smaller than it is under load. If swelling comes and goes, measure later in the day, when the foot is at its largest. Write both measurements on an index card with the size and width you wear now. The next person who buys shoes then has a measurement instead of a guess.

If a store measures with a sizing device, ask them to measure both feet standing. Ask which width the shoe comes in, not only the length, because many styles come in several widths in the same length.

Check the four places a shoe fails

The heel. Have your parent walk a few steps in the shoe and watch the back of the heel. If it lifts more than a little with each step, the heel cup is too big or the shoe is too long. A heel that slides is the failure most worth fixing before anything else.

The toe box. There should be room for the toes to move without pressing the front of the shoe. Press gently on the top of the toes. If they are pushed against the end or bent, the shoe is too short or too narrow, or the toe box is too shallow for toes that curl.

The closure. Hook-and-loop straps and laces that adjust across the top of the foot let the fit change through the day. A closure that can loosen or tighten is worth more than a fixed slip-on when the foot changes size.

The sole and the inside seams. Look for a flat, stable sole with grip, and run a hand along the inside for seams or stitching under the toes or at the heel. Your parent may not feel a rough seam as quickly as before, so check it yourself before the shoe goes on.

Compare widths on the same foot

Put two shoes of the same length but different widths on the same foot and compare them side by side. Pick the one that fits the widest part of the foot without the heel lifting. Insoles can add depth, but they cannot make a shoe wider. If the shoe is too narrow across the ball of the foot, a wider shoe is the answer, not a thicker insole.

Removable insoles are useful for adjusting depth. If the foot needs a custom insole, a brace, or a specialty shoe, that decision belongs to your parent's doctor or to a fitter the doctor refers you to. Your job is to bring the shoes and the measurement card to that appointment.

Buy only where you can return

Buy from a place with a clear return or exchange window, and find out how long that window is before you leave the store. Keep the receipt inside the box. Write the last day to return the shoes on the lid. Wear them around the house for a few days before that day, and check the heel, the toes, and any red spots after an hour of walking. If anything rubs or slides, return them while the window is open.

Name the person who handles the return. If it is you, put that on the lid too, so the job does not get lost in the week.

Put the check on a schedule

Name who checks the shoes and how often. Once a month is simple enough to keep. Look at the wear on the heel, the grip on the sole, the condition of the straps, and whether the shoe still sits flat on a table. Check again after any change in how the feet look or feel to your parent.

Decide who buys the replacement. If it is you, write the store, the size, the width, and the closure type on the card with the measurements. A second person can then buy the same shoe correctly without calling you at work.

Bring the one question to the doctor

If swelling comes and goes, or a foot changes shape faster than any shoe can keep up with, mention it to the doctor at the next visit. Ask whether a wider or deeper shoe is needed, or whether a fitter should measure the feet. The doctor decides what is medical. You decide what goes on the card, and you are allowed to stop forcing a shoe onto a foot that will not go in. Put it down, measure again, and start from the number in front of you.