2014-09-23 Scholarships Now Open!
Urgent prescription needed for farming, and farm family health
Scholarships Now Open!
The health and safety of the Australian farming industry is one of the poorest in the nation and more needs to be done about it according to Hamilton based National Centre for Farmer Health Director Dr. Sue Brumby.
“In 2010-11 Agriculture had the highest number of industry worker fatalities, this is not an aberration, over the previous decade the industry had been the second highest”.
“But farming’s most serious diseases are more insidious, more ingrained – and frighteningly – more traditional. For too long too many farmers have not even acknowledged illness, let alone allow it to slow the hectic work schedule now demanded by 21st century farming” she said.
Dr. Brumby said “The impact of that attitude is phenomenal – not only is the farmer at risk, so is his, or her, family and the security of the very business on which too many are working themselves to death”.
“Yet health has to be the cornerstone of it all, and as such needs so much more attention, acknowledgement – and respect – than it currently receives”.
“We have a sobering record of farmers who did not think they needed to take care of their health, not enough of them understood what was happening when their health failed. This is why we developed Agricultural Health and Medicine (HMF701), which will be run through Deakin University School of Medicine and Western District Health Service in 2015 from 23rd to 27th February” Dr. Brumby said.
Scholarships worth $1500 are now available to prospective students, who come from a diverse range of backgrounds, all working within the agricultural and health care industries.
The course has already attracted doctors, nurses, veterinarians, counsellors, agriculturalists and public health specialists from all states, some of them travelling thousands of kilometres to participate.
“They will work with an outstanding lineup of medical and industry presenters who will provide an insight of the challenges facing farmers, their families, their staff and their industry” Dr. Brumby explains.
That line-up includes surgeon Mr. Stephen Clifforth, respiratory physician Dr. Andrew Bradbeer, emergency medicine specialist Associate Professor Tim Baker, clinical psychologist Jan Austin and drug and alcohol addiction specialist Dr. Rodger Brough.
Dr. Brumby said “These specialist presenters, and the rest of the program – which also includes veterinary and farm safety experts – have been selected to deliver a concise and comprehensive introduction to the areas of farming health which need to be better understood, and clearly better managed”.
“We would encourage everyone involved in the industry – from agriculturalists to health service providers – to invest just five days in their future. It will be time well spent” she said.
Rural GP, Dr. Christel Smit Kroner said “the course helped me gain a deeper understanding of the work and life style factors impacting on my patient population. I feel more confident to open up conversations with farmers about their daily work, stresses, worries and joys”.
The NCFH Scholarships are now open and close 19th October 2014, visit www.farmerhealth.org.au or call Dr. Jacquie Cotton 03 5551 8585 for more information.
Enquiries:
Dr. Jacquie Cotton
National Centre for Farmer Health
Western District Health Service
03 55518585
2014-09-18 Farmers need to be sun smart – Hamilton Spectator
HAMILTON’S National Centre for Farmer Health has started a research program to help prevent deaths and major medical issues caused by skin cancers in the agricultural workforce.
Ochre Health GP, Dr Christel Smit-Kroner, aims to stop many farmers from “learning the hard way” about being sun smart through painful and sometimes fatal melanomas.
Read full article:
2014-09-18 Farmers need to be sun smart – Hamilton Spectator
2014-09-18 Farmers need to be sun smart – Hamilton Spectator – PDF
Photo source: Hamilton Spectator
2014-09-17 Funding talks planned for National Centre for Farmer Health – ABC News
The Victorian Government says it is planning discussions with the Commonwealth about funding for the National Centre for Farmer Health.
In July, the state and federal governments gave the Hamilton-based centre a one-off $625,000 grant, after being overlooked in the governments’ budgets.
The centre has been told to look for ongoing funding from the private sector. …
Read the full article
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-16/funding-talks-planned-for-national-centre-for/5746156
2014-09-17 Vics urge Feds to help farmer health – Stock and Land
FEDERAL money will be required if the State Government is to continue funding Hamilton’s National Centre for Farmer Health, according to Member for Western Victoria, Simon Ramsay.
The State Government was committed to providing a quarter of a million dollars to help run the centre annually, but it was contingent on Federal funding, Mr Ramsay said.
….
Read full article:
2014-09-17 Vics urge Feds to help farmer health – Stock and Land
Seeking farming family members bereaved by suicide
Seeking Farming Families
Andrew Mole is an award-winning rural and regional journalist who has been working in agricultural and regional Australia for almost 30 years.
Currently based in Echuca he is looking to interview a farming family who have been bereaved by the suicide of a parent or partner.
The purpose of the story is to highlight the following:
1. The repercussions of suicide, not just on the immediate family but through an extended family and community.
2. To run parallel stories which demonstrate how families may identify distress even though the person suffering the problem might be trying hard to hide it, or not even be aware of it.
3. Draw on work from the medical world, and groups such as Suicide Prevention Australia, Lifeline and beyond blue.
Andrew says while there has been a lot of awareness of suicide as an issue in agricultural Australia, there has been too little coverage of the impact on the family left behind.
It is his intention to try and give this experience a truly personal face, providing an awareness and momentum that goes beyond the act of suicide to highlight the full extent of the tragedy.
While he is prepared to offer anonymity Andrew believes this may weaken the strength of the story and would prefer to work with someone who is prepared to be named, and tell their full story.
Ideally he is looking for someone in the Riverina area but is prepared to interview anyone in Victoria or southern NSW.
The person interviewed will receive a full copy of the story and have the final say on its content.
Andrew can be contacted on 0419 132 369.
2014-09-16 Windy conditions for training run – Hamilton Spectator
Local runners and walkers braced windy conditions on September 8 to hear training tips, meet each other and practice for the upcoming Run 4 Farmer Health.
….
Read the full article
2014-09-16 Windy conditions for training run – Hamilton Spectator
2014-09-16 Funding talks planned for National Centre for Farmer Health – ABC News
The Victorian Government says it is planning discussions with the Commonwealth about funding for the National Centre for Farmer Health.
In July, the state and federal governments gave the Hamilton-based centre a one-off $625,000 grant, after being overlooked in the governments’ budgets.
The centre has been told to look for ongoing funding from the private sector.
…
Read the full article:
2014-09-16 Funding talks planned for National Centre for Farmer Health – ABC News
2014-09-12 Mepunga farmer Tania Nevill to run for farmer health in Melbourne Marathon – Weekly Times
RUNNING in saturated shoes along the sodden shoulders of a bitumen road lined with fresh wintry dew has given dairy farmer Tania Nevill the best preparation for next months Melbourne Marathon.
The Mepunga East resident has responded to her 5am alarm clock nearly every day since February, averaging up to 60km a week in preparation for her first marathon.
But the mother of four says her gruelling regimen has been a walk in the park compared to the challenges farmers face.
“It’s easy to make the effort to get up out of bed when you have a goal in my mind,” Ms Nevill said.
“While my training can be hard, there are farmers in Victoria who are enduring great physical and mental hardships.
“But farmers are a resilient lot who can push through that pain barrier if it means helping each other out.”
…
Read the full article:
2014-09-12 Mepunga farmer Tania Nevill to run for farmer health in Melbourne Marathon – Weekly Times
Photo source: Weekly Times
2014-09-10 In it heart and sole – Weekly Times
RUNNING in saturated shoes along the sodden shoulders of a bitumen road lined with fresh wintry dew has given dairy farmer Tania Nevill the best preparation for next month’s Melbourne Marathon.
The Mepunga East resident has responded to her 5am alarm clock nearly every day since February, averaging up to 60km a week in preparation for her first marathon.
But the mother of four says her grueling regimen has been a walk in the park compared to the challenges farmers face.
“It’s easy to make the effort to get out of bed when you have a goal in mind,” Ms Nevill said.
…
Read the full article:
2014-09-10 In it heart and sole – The Weekly Times
Source: The Weekly Times
Donate to Farmer Health Register to Run 4 Farmer Health2014-08-28 Christel Smit-Kroner discusses farmers and sun exposure – ABC Riverina
Christel Smit-Kroner who is currently enrolled in the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine, and completed core units HMF701 & HMF702 in 2013, speaks to Simon about a research project looking at farmers and sun exposure. Christel is heading up round table discussions with farmers to understand their sun protection habits. If you would like to participate please contact Christel below.
Listen to the interview below:
2014-08-28 Christel Smit-Kroner discusses farmers and sun exposure – ABC Riverina
Contact details:
Dr Christel Smit-Kroner
Phone: 0427 405 255
Download SunSmart UV App
Google Play | Samsung Apps
2014-08-20 Promote farm safety culture – Stock and Land
A LECTURER from the National Centre for Farmer Health at Hamilton has told a farm safety conference that safety issues extend beyond the property gate.
Dr Jacqui Cotton spoke on communities as role models for farm safety in a paper titled “Children See, Children Do”.
“From a young age they mimic adults,” Dr Cotton said.
“In the nought to four age-group is where a lot of injuries occur and it’s where most care needs to be taken.”
Dr Cotton said the greatest issue was encouraging a culture of safety throughout the whole farming community.
…
Read the full article:
2014-08-20 Promote farm safety culture – Stock and Land
2014-08-18 Canada adopts Australian farmer health program in global collaboration to ‘change the way farmers think’ – ABC Rural
A farmer health program developed by the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) in regional Victoria is being rolled out to farmers in Canada.
The Sustainable Farm Families (SFF) program was designed to empower Australian farmers to change concerning health statistics within their own communities.
Its results on home soil sparked interest from the Canadian Government and three delegates visited the centre in Hamilton, Victoria, last year.
The Alberta Government has now funded the centre to train 12 agri-health professionals, who will roll the program out to about 100 farmers in the coming months.
Project manager Jordan Jensen says the plan is to continue expanding into other regions of Canada.
…
Read the full article: