As an orthopedic nurse at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Gudrun Noonan noticed that many of her elderly and critically ill patients needed foot care. Trained as a foot-care specialist as part of her nursing education at the Clinic of Innsbruck in Austria, Noonan would treat patients’ feet during her lunch hour.
“For me, it was part of nursing and caring for the whole patient,” said Noonan, RN, owner of Happy Feet Service. “When doctors saw what I was able to do, they began referring more of their patients to me. I saw there was a great need for this kind of care.”
Noonan asked hospital leaders if she could set up an independent practice in the building.
“They gave me space and approval for three months on a trial basis, to see how it would work out,” Noonan said. “That was 33 years ago, so I guess you can say that they were pleased with my services.”
“When I worked with Goody [Noonan] as an orthopedic nurse, she had such a passion for taking care of the total patient,” said Connie Whittington, RN, MSN, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Piedmont.
Some patients have trouble reaching their feet to care for them, and that area of the body often gets overlooked when there are more pressing medical issues, Whittington explained.
“She taught me that the best way to care for someone’s feet in the hospital is first to immerse them in warm water. What a difference it makes,” Whittington said. “She would show us that when patients’ feet were happy, they felt better. We were kidding her about happy feet before she named her business.
“There are not many things in health care you can giggle about. When something makes people feel good, we need to be all about that.”
Born during World War II in Innsbruck, Noonan wanted to be a nurse (a krankenschwester), like her mother. She earned her diploma and practiced in Austria until an invitation to work with an international camp counseling program brought her to Georgia in 1971.
“I took a leave of absence to work as a counselor,” she said. “Finding so many nursing opportunities in the U.S., I applied for a permanent visa and began studying to become registered and licensed in the U.S.
“I worked as a staff nurse at Piedmont Hospital, which has been my home and my family.”
She would later meet Dr. Gerald Noonan, founding director of the Keller Graduate School of Management, and her husband for 35 years.
“Love crept in, and it was goodbye Austria, but not totally. We have a home in the Tyrolean Alps and visit every year,” she said.
Although Noonan learned her foot-care skills from European physicians, she doesn’t consider her practice to be podiatry. She doesn’t diagnose, prescribe or operate. Nor is she a pedicurist.
“Like any nurse, I want my patients to be more comfortable, so I show them how to care for their feet. It’s a mission for me,” Noonan said.
After asking patients to put their feet in her hands, she soaks and cleanses them, evaluates their condition, trims toenails and softens and removes dry skin, corns and calluses. She also massages feet and lower legs to stimulate circulation.
For diabetics and other patients at risk for foot problems, she teaches preventative care. She’ll advise recovering hip- and knee-replacement patients on the best shoes to buy. For conditions requiring a medical diagnosis and treatment, she refers patients to physicians.
“I’ve never advertised my services. It’s all been word of mouth,” Noonan said.
When patients stayed in the hospital for weeks at a time, doctors and nurses refer them to Happy Feet. Many of those patients often come back, bringing friends and family. Noonan also has clients come from outside the hospital; others are hospital workers.
“Because they walk and stand for long periods, doctors and nurses can have very unhappy feet,” she said with a laugh. “I give help to anyone who knocks on my door.”
One of her most well-known clients was Dr. Leila Daughtry Denmark, who retired as the world’s oldest practicing pediatrician at 103. Others have included Atlanta historian Virlyn B. Moore and S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A Inc.
At 69, Noonan has cut back to working three days a week and knows she’ll eventually need to close or pass the business on to someone else.
“I’ve worked so hard to build up the practice. It’s my baby and I’d like it to continue,” she said. “Anyone can learn the techniques, but I’d want it to be someone who truly wants to help human beings and is willing to go the extra mile.”
“She has done a phenomenal job and her practice has been a real asset to Piedmont,” Whittington said. “We want to continue to offer this unique service when she retires, perhaps through our wound-care unit.”
Noonan’s path from a nurse in Austria to a foot-care specialist in Atlanta has been fulfilling.
“It has been a blessing to be able to work as a nurse in this creative way. I am self-employed and doing what I love,” she said. “My patients leave feeling better and I get paid for helping them. How blessed can I be?”
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