Special shoes get man’amko tripping the light fantastic

By Marconi Calindas
Reporter

Don’t be surprised when you see some man’amko tripping the light fantastic. Therapeutic sandals—ultra-lightweight and constructed for ultimate comfort and protection—were distributed to 40 man’amko at the Office of Aging, with Gov. Juan N. Babauta personally handing out these shoes and sandals to the CNMI elderly yesterday morning.

The event was part of Aging Office’s project, in cooperation with Healthcare Specialties and Marianas Visiting Nurses, to help prevent the harmful effects of diabetes.

Patient Service coordinator Rose Ann DLG. Mondala said they initiated the project for the elderly with diabetes last July 2004 but due to shipping problems, the shoes arrived just last month.

She said that not all man’amko were given the protective shoes. “They have to be certified first by a physician that they are indeed diabetic,” she said, showing the documents certifying the eligibility of some man’amko for the therapeutic shoes. “They will need doctor’s certification in order for them to avail of these shoes,” she said.

Mondala said that each pair of shoes costs around $200, with 80 percent of the amount shouldered by each recipient’s Medicare benefits. “So, the 20 percent had to be shouldered by our man’amko,” she said.

Since majority of the recipients did not have the money to pay for the 20 percent, the Office of the Governor stepped in and paid for the balance.

“Our office is very thankful to the governor for taking care of the remaining cost for each shoes,” Mondala said.

She demonstrated the use of the shoes, which were designed with velcro straps and are open toed to accommodate those with forefoot disorders.

Mondola said that in the CNMI there are a large number of amputees due to the effects of diabetes. “Most of our elderly people have huge calluses on their toes that lead to wounds,” she said. If not cured immediately, this would lead to amputation.

The sandals also feature “Bio-Rocker” soles to reduce stress on the ball of the foot, and a removable insole for additional depth and fitting. She also said that the shoes would improve the blood circulation in the feet of elderly people with diabetes.

Mondola said the Aging Office also provided 22 therapeutic shoes on Rota and 14 pairs on Tinian last month.

Each eligible man’amko received one brand new pair of therapeutic shoes with three pairs of extra insoles.

The event also had free blood sugar and blood pressure check up, with the assistance of the registered nurses from MVN.