‘Toe Doc’ caters to elderly with in-home visits in Santa Fe, Abq.

April 07-- Apr. 7--As he approaches his 90th birthday, Roger Bergstrom said the simple act of bending over to trim his toenails is becoming a challenge.

Thankfully, he said, Dr. Adam Cornejo -- known as "the Toe Doc" -- is there to help.

"He takes care of it -- the feet in general," said Bergstrom, who, like many elderly people, has a mild foot fungus that causes yellowing in his toes.

On a recent Thursday morning, Cornejo, 28, a certified podiatrist, arrived at Bergstrom's Santa Fe home and asked if the man had noticed any improvements since their last meeting about two months ago.

Bergstrom said he had, "especially with the two big toes. Take a look."

Cornejo propped Bergstrom's wrinkly feet on a stool, examined them closely and started trimming overgrown nails. Then he donned a mask and started filing the nails, using an electric Dremel.

Such work is not for the squeamish.

But the services are needed, Cornejo said, because many elderly people neglect foot health at a time in their lives when they're more susceptible to toe fungus, dry skin and ulcers. His mission, he said, is to offer affordable, in-home foot care for older people and other patients who are largely confined to their homes.

"The idea," he said, "is don't rip people off and make life easier [for them]."

Cornejo graduated from Western University of Health Sciences in California with a doctorate in pediatric medicine and then completed a yearlong clinical residency at a Veterans Affairs hospital in New Mexico. After realizing he didn't want to become a surgical podiatrist and making a decision to pursue a private practice doing in-home preventive work, he said he initially "had a fear I wouldn't be accepted" by colleagues and other professionals in the area.

However, since he made the leap and launched his solo-run business in July, "people have been really supportive," he said.

Last fall, Cornejo entered an entrepreneurial competition at the University of New Mexico, where he had earned his undergraduate degree in nutrition dietetics. He presented the Toe Doc business plan to a panel judging the competition, and the school granted him $7,500 for startup expenses. Since then, he said, he's gained ample resources from the school as well as the confidence necessary for success.

Today, he said, "I give myself more credit than I initially did."

In less than a year, Cornejo has developed a base of 120 clients in Santa Fe and in Albuquerque, where he lives and has an office. About 90 percent of his clients are 70 to 90 years old, he said, and prefer in-home care.

Eventually, he'd like to reach a roster of 600 patients, including younger people and those with disabilities who have a harder time leaving their houses.

Down the road, he'd like to bring other professionals on board and expand to other regions of the state. But for now, he said, "I'm still growing."

The same day he saw Bergstrom, Cornejo visited with 10 patients at Casa Real, a Santa Fe nursing home.

His base price for nail care starts at $45, with a $70 traveling fee applied to groups of less than four people in Santa Fe. Couples receive a discounted travel rate.

The approach, he said, is a "fair and transparent model," especially for those without health insurance or with low incomes.

"They pay afterward and there are no surprises," he said.

Aside from basic nail care, Cornejo said, his work includes removing in-grown toenails, giving steroid injections for heel pain, prescribing treatment for foot fungus, and hosting general consultations in which he can address "very niche, weird little things" or give referrals to other doctors.

Another aspect of his job is offering conversation and compassion.

"I joke that sometimes I'm a therapist," he said. Patients have vented to him about family issues and heartache; others are lonely and just want to talk.

"People just want to know they're heard and supported," he said. "And I think that's indirectly a big part of the job."

On the web

For more information about Dr. Adam Cornejo, the traveling Toe Doc, visit thetoedoc.com.

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