from session 8: Tennessee Master Farm Family Health and Wellness program

2. Farm Family Health: Maximizing
Your Body’s Endurance and
Potential
Carla Wilhite
Occupational Therapist
Assistant Professor and Program Director of OT
Colorado Mesa University

3. A brief bio….
• Grandparents farmed: wheat,
cattle
• Grew up in Oklahoma
• Occupational therapist for 25 years
• 8 years in law enforcement before
OT career
• Working for AgrAbility since 2000.
• Provided assistance to over 200
farmers/ranchers in
accommodating disability on the
farm
cwilhite@coloradomesa.org

4. Participants will learn:
• Why it is valuable to the
farm’s bottom line to
engage in total farmer/farm
family health.
• How health is a total farm,
family, body, mind, and
spiritual process.
• How to understand the ways
health and wellness can be
incorporated into daily life
routines.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

5. Health is more than just about one’s body and
getting a checkup, it is about having Total Farmer
Health
AgriSafe.org

6. Health is ultimately about our participation in
desired life activities
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

7. Body health is a way to extend the usefulness
of our physical self over a longer time span
• The manner in which we MOVE
our body is key!
• Giving our body the right FUEL is
smart!
• Getting good REST is a well
deserved reward.
• Reducing WEAR and TEAR on
our “body engine” is cost-
efficient.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

8. Better sleep is a farmer’s best friend…
• Get sick less often
• Stay at a healthy weight
• Lower your risk for serious health
problems, like diabetes and heart
disease
• Reduce stress and improve your mood
• Think more clearly and do better in
school and at work
• Get along better with people
• Make good decisions and avoid
injuries
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC
BY-SA-NC

9. Ideas about movement….
• Ergonomics is the study of how
equipment and furniture can be
arranged so that people can do
work or other activities more
efficiently and comfortably.
• Collin’s dictionary
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

10. Ways to improve body movement for lifting
• Think before you lift.
• Keep the load close to the waist.
• Adopt a stable position.
• Ensure a good hold on the load.
• Do not bend your back when lifting.
• Do not bend the back any further
while lifting.
• Do not twist when you lift.

11. Yoga for body and brain….on the farm? Who
knew?

12. Reducing forces acting on our bodies is a
great strategy for body health…
•Vibration
•Ground force
•Tool forces
•Livestock handling
•Weights

13. Taking care of your brain is an important
aspect of health
• Our brain confronts stress by
fighting or fleeing
• This is great for
encountering a dragon, but
not so good when worried
about the mortgage
• Chronic activation of this
survival mechanism impairs
health (Harvard health) This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

14. Taking care of your spirit….
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

15. Ultimate purpose of life is meaning, whatever
form that takes for you.

16. For more information, my references….
• Wilcock, A. A. & Hocking, C. (2019). An occupational perspective of health
(3rd ed.). SLACK Inc: Thorofare, NJ
• https://ehs.stanford.edu/topic/ergonomics/safe-lifting
• https://extension.umaine.edu/agrability/wp-
content/uploads/sites/15/2020/07/YogaForFarmersPoster_Web.pdf
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-
stress-response
• https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/everyday-healthy-living/mental-
health-and-relationships/get-enough-sleep#panel-2
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-
depth/sleep/art-20048379
• https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/The-Mental-
Health-Benefits-of-Religion-Spiritual

17. For more resources about accommodating body
impairments and improving health on the farm or ranch
• National AgrAbility Project: http://www.agrability.org/
• National AgrAbility “Toolbox”: http://www.agrability.org/toolbox/
• AgriSafe-Stress Response: https://www.agrisafe.org/agristress-
response-network/
• AgriSafe: Protecting the People Who Feed the World:
https://www.agrisafe.org/