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Although Williams has turned control of the farm over to Kyle, he is still able to work using assistivetechnology devices, which were made possible by BNG and Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation. “We have mostly older equipment, so steps on the tractors make it a lot easier to get on,” he says. “The Mule (a utility vehicle) has been a tremendous help. It enables me to go to the barn and pick up parts to bring to the shop to work on and to take feed and water to the calves.” Williams also uses assistive devices in his workshop to help him keep farm machinery and seven semitrailers in working order. A device that accumulates and lifts hay bales makes it possible for him to participate in hay baling, which has always been one of his favorite farm chores.
Finding solutions
Many agricultural workers do not know they may be at risk of developing arthritis or that organizations like BNG, Vocational Rehabilitation and the Arthritis Foundation are available to help them. “We didn’t realize anything like this existed,” says Williams’ wife Diann about the assistance they received to keep Mike active in not only his profession but his way of life. “We just kind of fell into it. We went to the Vocational Rehabilitation office in Terre Haute to get Mike’s hearing aid fixed, and they told us about the (BNG) program. It’s been wonderful.”
A Vocational Rehabilitation caseworker referred Williams to Steve Swain, BNG rural rehabilitation specialist. Swain travels throughout the state to meet with farmers and their families; discusses their farm operation and equipment; and then recommends adaptive aids to help farmers overcome their barriers.
“It usually starts around the kitchen table and ends with a tour of the farm,” says Swain, who may spend several hours with a family during a site visit. Each case is different, and his recommendations may range from one to two items to several pages long. A combination of federal and state resources provides funding for the assistive devices.
“Farmers are independent,” says Swain, who makes about 65 new site visits a year and has between 50-60 ongoing clients at one time. “They’re problem-solvers. We’re trying to get information to them so they don’t have to re-invent the wheel.” Williams credits BNG’s outreach program with making it possible for him to continue farming. “These devices make my job easier to where I can still get out there and work,” he says.
What the future holds
With the average age of the American farmer climbing above 55, increasingly more farmers will find tasks difficult to complete. “Most people look at farming as being a healthy occupation where people are outside and doing a lot of work, but, in reality, it’s an occupation that has a lot of repetitive kinds of activities that can cause the onset of arthritis,” Field says. “We know a lot more about arthritis than we ever did, and there are a lot of resources for anyone who needs help. These resources are based on good science. We can’t cure arthritis, but we can do things to allow farmers to work freer and be more comfortable for longer periods of time.”
Contact Olivia Maddox at maddoxol@purdue.edu
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