Home care, prevention now can prolong time on farm

“Her main reason was her parents. She wanted them to continue to make memories where they were at home,” said Taylor Feltes, community education coordinator for Comfort Care, the home health care business Tow started in 1996.

At first, it was a small business with private caregivers, but it has grown to serve 21 counties in Iowa and is Medicare credited for nursing services.

The idea is for people to live on their farms and in their homes safely for as long as they can, Feltes said.

“Farmers are used to their own schedules and to independence. They want to do what they’ve always done. That’s something we try to make happen,” she said.

Some people need services such as personal care, light house keeping, medicine reminders, help with groceries and errands or a second set of ears during doctor’s visits. Others need specialized services provided by nurses, speech or occupational therapists.

Sometimes, the needs are temporary, such as wound care after surgery, therapy after a hip replacement or acute diabetes care, she said.

Other services try to address the needs of farmers who are so busy, especially during harvest and planting season, they may neglect their own health.

With that in mind, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Springfield Clinic, is connecting with farmers outside doctors offices at farmers markets or farm shows.

The clinic, based in the state’s capital, has 88 health specialties with locations throughout Central Illinois, often serving rural patients.

Professionals from the clinic attended the ag department’s Illinois Products Farmers Market on Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, where they connect with farmers and answer basic questions.

They also had a team of doctors at a farm show in Decatur earlier this month offering services like eye exams and blood pressure checks.

The average age of a farmer is 55 years or older, and many of these hard-working men and women have a hard time walking away from the field to go to the doctor’s office, said Rachel Gasperin, Springfield Clinic’s communication coordinator. That’s why the doctors make appearances at such events.

At the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, experts included cardiac health, occupational health, orthopedic medicine, audiologists and optometrists.

“They answered a lot of questions,” she said.

Optometrist Bryan Hopkins, among the guest physicians there, said questions about cataracts and dry eyes were common.

“It’s important to give good, solid advice on eye care and health,” he said.