Brigitte
This is a West Wimmera Health Service podcast. Presented by me Brigitte Muir.
This series focuses around stories and issues related to health and wellbeing. Some of the people we hear from a sharing their stories, hoping that they experiences will help us with our own health and wellbeing. Please be aware that some of their life experiences may touch on issues that are sensitive to some. Please listen with care. You will find information on seeking help if you need it in the notes attached to each episode.
I you someone who is into killing two birds, with one stone. Well, if checking the state of your health and lifestyle has been at the back of your mind for a while, and you enjoy field days, guess what? You can have your cake and eat it too. I talked with Trish Heinrich from West Wimmera Health Service just before Christmas, so you get bonus tips on how to deal with those crazy busy times of the year as well. Let's meet Trish, who will explain to us how to take the bull by the horns
Trish
I’m a local girl, grew up in Rainbow. Did all my studies in Rainbow, except for when I went to nursing in Adelaide. Got trained in Adelaide, came back here, was never going to come back to the country but decided that my boyfriend at the time… *Chuckle* and I should probably get engaged so did come back to the country. My family were a farming family in Rainbow, and have been for so many generations. So that's why I sort of got into the farmer health side of it.
Brigitte
So you absolutely have an interest in the health of farmers. Yes, you've got a nursing background. And you decided to ….do…. health and lifestyle assessments. How did that start?
Trish
I had seen how farming families and how sometimes the health of farming families isn't number one priority because the farm is, and I thought there's got to be something, there's some got to be some course that we can do as nurses or health professionals to help educate and broaden the horizons for farmers with their health. Then saw this course through Western District Health Service, but also through Deakin Uni that offered this health and lifestyle assessments.
Brigitte
It… it sounds like a great course to do, if you want to get a job in the country.
Trish
Absolutely, for sure.
Brigitte
And who doesn't want a job under the big sky? *Laughter*
Trish
Exactly
Brigitte
Okay, well it sounds like it's a perfect fit for you.
Trish
Absolutely. Yes, yes. I just wish there was more people around who had done the course so we could offer it, you know, more widely than just field days and…and other events for farmers.
Brigitte
So, you do not at this stage travel to people's farms.
Trish
No, not at this stage we don't. We certainly just set up the National Centre for Farmer Health, often coordinates…. events. So, you know we go to the field days, Wimmera Mallee Field Days, we go to the Speed Field Days. We do the Birchip Cropping Group, and we did actually have two sessions, one in Warracknabeal for the Active Farmers group, and one in Goroke for the farmers down there, so we set that up for a day in Goroke.
Brigitte
Right so you have special events,
Trish
Right
Brigitte
you turn up
Trish
Yes
Brigitte
and farmers can come to you and…. say what?
Trish
So not just farmers, but it's also farming families,
Brigitte
Yes of course
Trish
because we want to keep the farming families as healthy as well because they're all supporting that farm as well. They often just say, “Oh, I haven't had a health check for a while”. And you say, “Well, now's your chance”. We've got 20 minutes. It doesn't take long. You don't have to really do much other than sit there and answer a few questions. And then we have a look at it in depth, after they've completed the survey and…and we've done their blood pressure, and all those sorts of things.
Brigitte
What kind of questions do you ask?
Trish
Some of the questions include their lifestyle practices… alcohol intake for the week, sun protection, skin protection, recent screenings, all those sorts of things. So, you'd be surprised at the amount of people who actually don't realise what screenings they need to do for their age group. And so, then we spend time actually speaking to them about what screenings they should be having done, and even show them you know, this is the bowel screening tool, this is how you do it. It's not actually that invasive at all. It's not really that gross. Yeah.
Brigitte
And it's very important to do those tests
Trish
Yes, absolutely
Brigitte
Because we often forget, that …as self-employed people, we are the most important tool
Trish
Yes absolutely
Brigitte
in our array, of tools
Trish
Your most important asset on the farm, is the farming family.
Brigitte
What are the most common problems you come across?
Trish
So, we have those normal health conditions that we see in lots of the populations. So, the undiagnosed high blood pressure, and undiagnosed high cholesterol, because we can actually do the cholesterol testing on a day. It's obviously not a fasting one, but it's a very good indicator. We also see… like we do a wellbeing questionnaire, of 10 questions that we often see how… stress can affect people in different ways. So, we certainly give them… some strategies and some advice, on who they should go and seek after the consult that we have with them. Because certainly there is a lot of stress in farming. All sorts of farming.
Brigitte
Yeah, let's not talk about what's happening with the weather….*Chuckles
Trish
That's right exactly definetly
Brigitte
how do people… find out more about it?
Trish
So, West Wimmera Health Service is working with the National Centre for Farmer Health, to … collaborate more and to bring more events, for health and lifestyle assessments next year. But certainly the first point of contact would be contacting the National Centre for Farmer Health cause they can actually advise where there might be health and lifestyle assessments coming up.
Brigitte
And it's very easy. You just pick up the phone and call them basically
Trish
or their website is awesome and lots of resources on there. I know lots of things, tips for harvest and all that sort of thing on there as well.
Brigitte
Talking about harvest. We're getting towards the busy period of the year with Christmas coming up, with the end of lockdowns, touch wood …and with harvest also… which will start to happen… what would be your best advice to people? To survive that busy season.
Trish
Make sure your farm and your equipment is ready to go, make sure you've got well ventilated headers, and trucks, and Tractors. Also, if it can, make sure you get a healthy harvest diet. I know that's tricky. Sometimes there's a lot of take away. But if you can kind of have that planned early, and take some snacks that are healthy with you. Hydration is very important. So remember to drink your water, as well as not too many caffeine drinks if you can, I know that's tricky when you're trying to stay awake. Try and stretch when you can, even when you jump off the header, just do that stretching, you know, move your neck around on the header, all those sorts of things to keep you in prime condition. As well as trying to manage fatigue, which I know is very difficult in harvest because there's always the constraints of the weather. But if you can manage fatigue, that's always a good one…I think
Brigitte
Do you parents still farm?
Trish
No, nah, we've actually leased our farm out.
Brigitte
okay.
Trish
My brother and nephew are actually contract harvesting, for a company and moving down from Queensland, to New South Wales to Victoria, as we speak. So that's exciting that they're back into that. Yeah.
Brigitte
Do you tell them what to do?
*Laughter*
To stay healthy and safe?
Trish
We have, we have floated the idea of creating a book about how to survive harvest with some tips and some stories and all those sorts of things. But it hasn't really got much more than just ..just an idea at these days.
Brigitte
Oh, it's a great idea. I'm sure it would work really well. Well, we're starting with a podcast.
Trish
That's right, exactly. For sure
Brigitte
Well, thank you very much for you time and for those tips. It's very good to know that these health and lifestyle assessment actually exists and farming families can get to it …at many events around the area. Once again, thank you very much and I hope the rest of the year goes really well for you.
Trish
Thank you
Brigitte
Trish Heinrich there talking about those very handy those Field Days health checks.
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai edited by WWHS Health Promotion