PRESCOTT JAMES Enlarge Image

Headingley-based farmer Michael Ganczar, 68, still enjoys good health and lots of exercise.

A University of Manitoba professor hopes a new study she is conducting will result in better health for aging Manitoba farmers.

Dr. Margaret Friesen, a professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the School of Medical Rehabilitation at the U of M, is conducting a study entitled Impact of Long-Term Health Conditions on Farmer’s Participating in Work.

The study focuses on farmers aged 55 and older and how the work that they do is affected by chronic conditions such as arthritis and diabetes.

"Farmer’s rarely identify themselves as having a disability," Friesen said.

"But older farmers are more likely to have chronic conditions and I am interested in the impact of these conditions have on their day-to-day work."

Friesen said that approximately 40% of farmers across Canada are now 55 or older. Many farmers continue to work past the usual retirement age of 65.

"Farming is one of the highest risk occupations in Canada and the risks increase when people age," Friesen said.

"So if we have an idea of the possible risks before something disastrous happens to this aging farmer population, maybe we can institute awareness and safety measures that can help mitigate those risks."

Garvin Kabernick, 69, a Starbuck area farmer, has been farming for most of his life. While Kabernick recognizes that he is beginning to slow down, he thinks that farmers of all ages are healthier than many other Canadians.

"I am pretty fortunate because I’ve stayed in pretty good shape," Kabernick said. "I still ski and water ski and I still work the farm with my son. When I compare myself to friends of mine that have had office jobs all their lives, they just aren’t as good of shape as I am."

Michael Ganczar, a Headingley-based farmer, got into the business after retiring from teaching at age 55. Now 68, Ganczar said that his good health is a result of getting out from behind a desk and onto the field.

"When I finished teaching I wanted to do something else and farming was it," Ganczar said.

"It worked out well, because while my teaching colleagues sat on the coach watching T.V. and eating fatty food when they retired, I actually stayed in pretty good shape."

Dr. Friesen will be collecting surveys until Nov. 1 and she expects to have the results completed sometime in 2011. The survey can be taken online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q5R9XLT or can be mailed out by calling Friesen at 977-5634.

prescott.james@canstarnews.com