Emergency medical response charity CRITICAL is advising farmers to seek medical attention early for all health concerns, including mental health.
The organisation said that farmers and those working in the agricultural sector often leave it too late to seek medical help.
The charity made the comments ahead of the National Ploughing Championships, which take place in Ratheniska, Co Laois from September 17-19.
Farmers
Dr Mark Ruddy, a GP in Co. Wicklow and a responder with CRITICAL, said that many farmers find it difficult to open up about how they are feeling and this can impact on their health.
“If you look at mental health we know that older men in isolated areas are a high risk group so a lot of the time you’re talking about farmers who have limited social outlets.
“In rural Ireland, mental health has only become a thing recently. People have always had mental health problems but for a long time we’ve ignored it and haven’t treated it until recently,” he said.
“I ask all my older patients who are in for other things about their mood and we pick up a lot of people who are low or depressed or anxious so I see a lot of early presenters through my GP work.
“Unfortunately I see the other end of the spectrum through the CRITICAL response when the stress could lead to issues such as heart attack or stroke.
“We also see a lot of suicides and I think farmers are probably disproportionately represented in the suicide statistics,” Dr. Ruddy added.
Health
Dr Ruddy said that farmers are often extremely sick by the time he sees them and this could be due to a number of factors.
“The first 10 to 20 minutes in any trauma are crucial to a person’s recovery but it could take a lot longer to get to a farmer either because they’re in a very remote area or they have no way of raising the alarm if something happens to them.
“It’s not always the big machinery accidents, it could be a heart attack, stroke or seizure.
“Farmers often work alone so by the time a responder gets to them they could be a few hours into the trauma and that could mean a much longer time to recover,” he said.
CRITICAL volunteers respond to 999/112 calls for patients who suffer from serious medical issues like cardiac arrest, stroke, choking, and seizures, or serious traumas like road, farming, school and workplace accidents, and falls.
Dr Lisa Cunningham, a consultant based in Mayo General Hospital and a trustee of CRITICAL, said that many farmers are reluctant to go to hospital because they may not have anyone else to keep the business going while they are receiving treatment or undergoing surgery.
CRITICAL has suggested a number of tips to help reduce the risks to a farmer’s health:
- Go to your GP for a basic check-up;
- Expect the unexpected and treat all machinery with care – never operate machinery when sleep deprived or when you are in a rush;
- Carry a mobile phone at all times so that you can call someone in the event of an accident happening;
- Carry a personal alarm;
- Install CCTV cameras
- Put a plan in place so that someone can look after the farm if you end up sick or in hospital
CRITICAL will have a stall at the National Ploughing Championships and volunteers will be available to talk to anyone with concerns around farm safety or mental health.
There will also be a draw for a defibrillator for a community, which has been donated by prize sponsor, Hayes First Aid.