If you've ever had an old dog or an aging parent, you know that stage: the stage where you watch…read morethem gradually slow down, dragging their feet or limping, until you have to wonder how many good years they have left. In the case of your dog, it may even be time to visit the Granville Island Veterinary Clinic, where a kind veterinarian will let you hold Spot's paw as he is ushered into the Elysian Fields. In the case of your aging parent, however, you just need to visit Paris Orthotics.
I've been an Paris Orthotics customer -- or is it patient? -- for many years, and have had several pairs of long-lasting orthotics that keep my middle-aged feet and knees working happily. When I got ambitious enough to start snowboarding, a Paris Orthotics staffer even spent an hour with me, adjusting the way my orthotics sat in my snowboarding boots, so that I could enjoy my new sport pain-free.
So when my aging but still active mother moved to Vancouver, I knew that there was only one spot that would keep her -- as a longtime orthotics evangelist -- in working order. She's relied on Paris Orthotics for the better part of a decade, getting her orthotics adjusted as her feet, knees and hips have aged, so that she's been able to keep up her two-hour-a-day walking regime even though she's now 78.
But what really put the Paris team to the test was when my mom hit her first real mobility impairment. After an uncharacteristically snowy winter, my mom developed significant knee pain, stemming from the way she'd shuffled across icy sidewalks. She worked her way across the city, seeing doctors, arthritis specialists, pilates teachers, massage therapists and physical therapists. She saw some improvements...but she still relied on a cane to get around.
Then she checked in with Martha Paris, who met with her several times in order to evaluate her gait and find out exactly where the pain was occurring. She adjusted my mom's orthotics and got her to switch to a lighter pair of shoes. Now, a month later, my mom is back on her feet -- and walking cane-free!
Thanks to Paris Orthotics, I can see that my mom has many good, mobile years ahead of her. I'm celebrating by taking her to the park so she can chase a frisbee.