Your reading list

Disabled farm group goes truly national

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: March 17, 2005

Carl Palmer is a happy man.

His goal for the past eight years has been to set up an organization in all 10 provinces where disabled farmers can talk to each other.

He accomplished that on Feb. 21 with a meeting of the Canadian Farmers with Disabilities Registry in Nanaimo, B.C., which welcomed the British Columbia branch, the last provincial branch to join the national network.

“We’re feeling very pleased,” said Palmer, a Nova Scotia farmer who needs two canes to walk.

The registry has about 400 names in it and Palmer said two-thirds of them were disabled in farm accidents rather than vehicle accidents or chronic health conditions.

Read Also

View of a set of dumbbells in a shared fitness pod of the smart shared-fitness provider Shanghai ParkBox Technology Co. at the Caohejing Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai, China, 25 October 2017.

Smart shared-fitness provider Shanghai ParkBox Technology Co. has released a new version of its mobile app and three new sizes of its fitness pod, the company said in a press briefing yesterday (25 October 2017). The update brings a social network feature to the app, making it easier for users to find work-out partners at its fitness pods. The firm has also introduced three new sizes of its fitness boxes which are installed in local communities. The new two-, four- and five-person boxes cover eight, 18 and 28 square meters, respectively. ParkBox's pods are fitted with Internet of Things (IoT) equipment, mobile self-help appointment services, QR-code locks and a smart instructor system employing artificial intelligence. 



No Use China. No Use France.

Well-being improvement can pay off for farms

Investing in wellness programs in a tight labour market can help farms recruit and retain employees

He said some injured farmers choose not to be identified in the registry.

“They say, ‘just leave me alone. I’m happy the way I am.’ Some can go for years unnoticed. They just shove their mangled hand in their pocket.”

However, Palmer urges such people to join the registry. It offers a support group for the weeks immediately after an injury, but also is a forum where farmers can share practical ideas of how to modify their machinery or adjust farm practices.

While the national group gets no money directly from the federal government, Palmer said it has been promised $50,000 this year from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association. It raises about an equal amount of money annually from machinery and insurance companies. Palmer said the national registry also has a charitable status so donations can receive a tax receipt.

Palmer has been chair of the registry since it developed in January 1997 and said he will stay on for now. The registry’s next annual meeting will be next December or January in the London, Ont., area.

About the author

Diane Rogers

Saskatoon newsroom

explore

Stories from our other publications