STAR Point Transcript - MN AgrAbility Project
Guest: Beth Zabel
Host: Earle Harrison
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EH: Hello and welcome to another edition of STAR Point, a production of the Mn STAR Program, a System of Technology to Achieve Results. My guest today is Beth Zabel, from New Ulm, MN with the MN AgrAbility Program. We're going to learning a little bit of what that is. Why don't we go ahead and start off by finding out a little about you. Tell us how you got involved with AgrAbility and a little bit about yourself?
BZ: OK, I grew-up in Southern MN on a farm, so knowing that I wanted to go back and work in a rural environment, it's always something I've been looking for. I'm an Occupational Therapist by background and have worked in a variety of settings, mostly in Southern MN, in a community hospital and in the school system and when I heard about this job with the AgrAbility program I was very excited because it brings together all the kinds of things that I love. It's in a rural area, it's working with farmers and it really is looking at what's it going to take to make it work for somebody with a disability or a barrier. So I find it really challenging.
EH: So you work in greater MN. Is that everywhere throughout the state or is…
BZ: Anywhere in the state. I'm based out of New Ulm and I cover the southern part of the state and we have another evaluator who is based out of Saint Cloud and he kind of covers the northern, up through the Red River Valley.
In the AgrAbility program, my job is to go out and make visits to farmers and farm family members, and agriculture workers which would include migrant workers, and see how things are going and they may have a barrier or a disability that's caused by a traumatic injury. So I've worked with folks with spinal cord injuries or amputations, or head injuries, or it might also be something that's a barrier caused by a more long term chronic condition like arthritis, or diabetes, or heart disease. And so we start by seeing what works for you, what doesn't work for you? Are there tasks that you would like to be easier? And then together we brainstorm on how to make those tasks possible and we just address each barrier as it comes. And, it might be how do you get from the ground level into a combine, which is like a 8-foot difference/transfer that needs to happen, and it might be as simple as how do you um… especially for dairy farmers, how do you get down to do the work that needs to be done around the udders of the cow? So we look at that whole environment and what things we need to change to make it work better.
EH: And how does the Farm Safety and Health Program at the University of MN factor into all of this?
BZ: The grant, which comes from the Federal Department of Agriculture, puts out a grant and so, the Good Will Easter Seals of MN and the Farm Safety Program of the extension service work together. So I work with the folks over there in the Farm Safety and Health Program and together we do the activities of the program.
EH: And your emphasis is really on assistive technology?
Yes, my part of the program is to go out there on site and look not only at assistive technology, but also how do you modify. You may be able to modify the environment or modify the type of operation. You know, for example, someone may be in dairy, which can be difficult to modify, not impossible but difficult. They may modify their program to a cow/calf operation, which would be a little bit easier to modify for some disabilities, so we look at both assistive technology and modification.
EH: I see. So you do the assessment, make the recommendations and actually follow it through the implementation stage.
BZ: Exactly. That's what makes this job a lot of fun is that, I'm able to follow the client through that whole process and it's quite a process and it's usually takes 2 years before you really get all of the things done. And certainly it's easy to make recommendations, it's hard to implement them and it's hard also sometimes to find the funding to implement them, but that's part of my job to is to help them look at all of the resources that are out there and find the funding to let them do what they need to do.
EH: Give me an example, without using any names, of one real success story. Something perhaps where there were even some barriers in terms of funding that you've encountered.
BZ: One case study I can think of is a gentlemen who had arthritis in his back and some of it was hereditary. He was predisposed to arthritis, but farming is hard on your body, so he had quite a bit of arthritis in his back and his knees and his hips. His operation was, he had a dairy operation raised some cattle and also was doing some crop production as well and so he couldn't climb up and down out of his tractors. He was having a hard time getting the feed to the cattle, and so he did a number of modifications and he uses a number of pieces of adaptive equipment. He was able to cement part of the dairy operation/ part of the cattle operation so that he wouldn't necessarily be walking over such rough terrain. He was able to put better lighting in so that he could see better what he was doing. He uses an automatic hitch on the back of his tracker so that he doesn't need to climb up and down off the tracker. The simple task, what seems simple of just hooking and unhooking peaces of equipment, can be very labor intensive and can be an un-safe situation as well. The majority of injuries on the farm occur during the climbing on and off of trackers, so anytime you can eliminate that hazard, or that barrier, you're ahead and so he has automatic hitches on the back of his tractor onto his feed wagon and his grain wagon and some other pieces of equipment. He got new seats on his tractors that are pneumatic. Riding a tractor can be very fatiguing because of the rough terrain and just the tractor itself can be hard to ride on and so now he has pneumatic seats so he is able to tolerate being in the tractor longer.
EH: So this is a gentleman who, I'm assuming was a farmer born into a family of farmers.
BZ: A farmer born into a family of farmers, his son's are farmers, so yeah.
EH: So here we are in a situation where, I'm sure this gentleman in his wildest dreams ten years ago wouldn't have imagined that he would be in need of any of your services.
BZ: Correct.
EH: That's the case with all of us, I mean (Laughter) we all succumb to the ravages of old age.
BZ: Exactly.
EH: It's definitely not for cowards.
BZ: Right, well farming's just hard on the body and farmers frequently don't retire. So I'm often working with folks who are in that 50, 60, 70 age bracket who are going full bore. I mean they're working! Yeah and what has changed, and made it difficult for folks is the size of operation, because operations are bigger, because equipment is bigger and more difficult to get in and out of, disabilities and barriers I think catch up with folks more then they used to.
EH: And what are some of the funding challenges that people come up against? I mean I understand that these are unexpected expenses…
BZ: They're unexpected expenses and they're some big dollars that can be associated. Some things can be a simple as a hammer for $20 that holds the nails in it, you know. So it can be a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment, or changing the way the jobs are allocated. Maybe you have a friend, or a neighbor or a son who can do that job. But then again, if you need a lift to get you from a wheelchair into a combine, that can be $15,000. So, those big dollar expenses we need to go to outside sources.
EH: Can you give us some examples of some of those sources?
BZ: We try to look for sources closest to the person involved, so we might start with church groups, fraternal organizations. Sometimes farmers belong to production groups such as corn growers or the Live Stock Association. We also tap into medical insurance when we can. Medical insurance will sometimes pay for some modifications. And then there are some state agencies as well, so Vocational Rehab Services, State Services for the Blind, those kind of state…
EH: Yeah, you mentioned that the gentleman had some arthritic problems, but you also mentioned that he had done some things with the lighting that enabled him to see better, so he obviously had some visual involvement as well. As a blind person myself I'm really curious as to whether or not you have any other blind clients out there?
BZ: I haven't worked with any, but I've read a lot of material you we… The project is relatively small. It's in about 18 different states so we share resources all the time--how do you do this and how do you do that--and so those things come across my desk and through the computer and it's fascinating how people can modify the environment for somebody with a disability. Adding wind chimes (wind chimes sound) to a barn so you know where it is across the field or across a farm yard or adding a guideline so they have a tactile reference from one place to another.
EH: You probably recommend against operating heavy farm equipment (laughter).
BZ: Well, yes (laughter) not that they always think that's a good idea. (Sound of an engine starting), well and actually, we were just discussing this not to long ago. They actually have GPS. Global positioning devices are more and more accessible (Sound of a tractor starting, panning from left to right and left again and shutting down) and they actually have devices that you can put on your tractor that once you have done the turn maneuver at the end of the row, it completely guides the tractor and keeps it in the row.
EH: That is amazing!
BZ: That is amazing! (smile in voice).
EH: So I could drive (laughter).
BZ: You bet, yeah, yeah.
EH: Just get in and turn the key.
BZ: Yeah, Yeah, and I think that you know it's not going to be that far out when tractors will be able to do end maneuvers as well so it's amazing how automation has changed farming.
EH: You mentioned something about hitches. How does an automated hitch work?
BZ: There's a part that's on the end of the tractor and there's another part that's on the wagon or other piece of equipment. The piece that is on the tongue, holds the tongue up to the level of the hitch and it also has some guide bars that are kind of V-shaped, so as the person and the tractor backs up, the part on the tractor pushes into a hook and then the hook comes closed, so it is kind of gravity that holds it in there and then there's another lever you can pull to have it let go. That's one type. There are a couple of different types, but that's one.
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EH: Hello, my name is Earle Harrison with the MN STAR Program. STAR stands for a System of Technology to Achieve Results. Whether you're just tuning into our automated stream, which can be found on our web site at WWW.admin.state.mn.us or, if you're listening to us on one of the local radio stations or a public radio station, welcome. We are speaking with Beth Zabel of the MN AgrAbility Program. AgrAbility is a national program whose function is to assist people with disabilities who live in rural settings.
Beth, what types of outreach efforts is AgrAbility currently making in terms of getting the word out there about the program?
BZ: I think that our biggest challenge is to let people know that the program is available, and so I am available to do lots of different types of events and different types of outreach. Certainly I'm available to do in-services or small talks about what is it that we do, who we might work with. I have some case studies and lots of pictures so you can see how it is that we have helped different folks both with chronic disabilities as well as more traumatic injuries. We're also trying to set up some clinics so that we're available in our rural clinics so that somebody can come in to see their doctor for perhaps their arthritis and then see us at the same to see us about what modifications they might need. We're trying to set up those kinds of clinics so we can outreach in that way. We're trying to set up some relationships with some groups that are already out there so we can reach that audience. For example, arthritis support groups or stroke support groups so we're reaching as many people as we can and that has definitely been a challenge.
Being part of the extension service really is a great outreach because there are extension educators in every county. So, certainly another part of outreach on my end is to make sure that each one of those extension educators understand what our program is and feel comfortable making the referral back in so they can be very helpful.
EH: How about physicians?
BZ: Try to get the word out to them as well. Physicians and any of those primary service providers, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Physicians. We're trying to do more inservices to them and get the information to them and that's a challenge. They are certainly overloaded by information and we try to make our information current and something that will stick in their brains.
EH: OK, because I was wondering if these services that you provide are actually under a physicians order.
BZ: No, no we are… I work for Good Will Easter Seals and the services that we provide are free to the consumer or the client and so we don't need any orders, we just need… Essentially what we're doing is going in and doing consultations with folks and making sure that they see… they get the things that they need. Whenever possible, my goal has been to get information to and get information from as many of the team players as possible so that would be physicians, therapists, counselors--who ever else is involved.
We have another service, another part of our program that I think is real exciting and that's called The Fence Line. Fence Line is a group of volunteers who are as a fence line does reach across space and time and the Fence Line volunteers are peers who have a disability, or have a barrier and they have been able to meet that barrier. And they've graciously volunteered their time to speak to groups and also to speak to folks that have a like disability or a like barrier, so they can share with them some of the techniques and the pieces of equipment that have been helpful to them and also there's a sense that they're not alone and I think that's real important. I think that farming can be quite isolating and having a disability by itself can be isolating. And so, getting people together, letting them talk, letting them understand that there are other folks out there who have met these barriers and I'm real proud of that part of the program.
EH: How about other educational materials, any other resources that people might be able to acquire?
BZ: We have a nice variety of materials available. We have some videotapes of different kinds of equipment if you're thinking about--do I want this kind of hitch versus that kind of hitch, this kind of wheelchair versus that kind of wheelchair and we've collected some of those materials from the manufacturers. We also have some videotape and written material sets that look at the caregiver relationship because certainly sometimes that changes when you have a traumatic injury. We also have some materials about what is it like to have a disability and how you might be able to modify a rural business or a rural activity like 4H or something like that, how you might accommodate materials to accommodate someone with a disability. And, we also have different videos of folks who have let us come in and show what types of equipment they've used so we have somebody with a spinal cord injury, somebody who is an upper or a lower extremity amputee, and so we've just videotaped what works for them and what doesn't work for them. The Fence Line volunteers have also been very gracious in letting us take pictures of their operation and accommodations that they use. We have a book available that has that in it as well, so we have a nice variety of things that people can use.
EH: And being from New Ulm yourself you can probably appreciate this. You were talking about the isolation that people experience, not only as a farmer but have a disability. It occurs to me that accordion players are feeling somewhat isolated these days as well (laughter).
BZ: (More laughter) Under-appreciated probably.
EH: They are very much under-appreciated. I just love a good accordion song, a good polka (More laughter).
BZ: It adds that over altogether sense.
EH: Do you do much polkaing yourself?
BZ: I like to polka, you betchya. I grew up going to wedding dances and waltzing and polkaing and...
EH: That's great. OK, well you know, now it's off to the farm for me. I've never operated any farm machinery myself and I'd sure love the opportunity to do so, do you think you'd be willing to take me out?
BZ: Oh sure, we could fix you up.
EH: What are the kinds of things you'd have me do? (Sounds of chickens fade up followed by cows mooing and milking machines.)
BZ: We might have to maybe get a cow ready to be milked, that would be an experience for ya, it would be pretty tactile. (laughter as sounds intensify) You could certainly get up and personal to that cow and learn where they are and how that all works, so that would be good for ya.
EH: (Sounds continue) OK, I'm not sure I'm liking this. (laughter).
BZ: You might like it a lot, you never know (end of laughter).
EH: As much as the cow? I'm just kidding.
BZ: Well, maybe not as much as the cow. (Laughter) You know those dairy farmers, they like their girls and they take good car of them, but we could probably make that work for you.
EH: No seriously, are there milking… I mean its all very automated these days I'm sure, but are there anything you really need to consider in terms of milking cows for modifications?
BZ: Yeah, as a matter of fact, I worked for a family who was hard of hearing, and they had a dary operation and the problem was that all of the sensors were auditory sensors and they were milking 10 to 20 cows at a time. If those milkers fall off, and the lights are flashing or it's an auditory buzzer and they're not seeing it, so I helped them hook up with an agency that could pay to get automatic take-off so that if a milker fell off, the suction would stop and the milker would lift away from the dirt and the bedding material so yeah, there's a lot more to it than you know. Plus there's all the cleaning that goes into it. Having a dairy operation can be very hard on your body.
EH: What is harvest cart?
BZ: A harvest cart is a piece of equipment that one might use if you have difficulty bending or reaching to harvest vegetables or fruit. I was just at the vegetable and fruit growers conference and certainly one of the difficulties with that population is that they're forever bending and stooping to pick the products if whether it's strawberries or green beans or whatever it might be and so a vegetable cart was actually developed in Wisconsin in the healthy farmers healthy profits program which is a program that we try to work with to get ideas and those kinds of things. But it has 3 big wheels, and you are able to sit very low to the ground and it has a platform on it that carries the harvest basket, so you're not having to drag that along with you. It keeps you nice and close to your work so you're not doing all that bending and stooping.
EH: This is actually a piece of technology that would be coveted by farmers in general I would imagine.
BZ: You bet. They actually have a motorized one now that you can lay down on. That was a good thing.
EH: Yeah it sounds like something along my speed.
BZ: Yeah, well and the other thing that's kind of fun about this job is pulling from one area or one specialty group and applying those ideas and modifications to another. For example: for many, many, many years, dairy farmers have used what's called a strap on milking stool. And so it's just a one legged stool with a strap that fits around your waist and as you squat to attach the milking equipment, it's behind you and you can sit on it. Well, that can also be used in a variety of situations but certainly in the fruit and vegetable area, because they're doing lots of squatting and bending. So it's fun to take that kind of equipment and show it to different folks and have them kind of brainstorm about it.
EH: What types of educational efforts do you do in terms of preventing a disability?
BZ: You bet.
EH: Work hardening.
BZ: Work hardening well, or ergonomics really, taking a look at ergonomics and making sure that the situation that they're not hurting themselves.
EH: So AgrAbility isn't strictly after the fact.
BZ: No, and we can come in before and say well... Certainly the tasks that farmers do are repetitive and can be stressful on the body so one of the things that we are looking at are the barriers that exist and ones that may happen. Frequently they're feeling pain in their back or their knees or those kinds of things so what are you doing that aggravates that and what can we do to change that situation. Can we raise things up, can we get a different piece of equipment so that you're not putting your body in that position. The other thing I think we not to look really careful on is what we call secondary injuries. For example, somebody using a wheelchair over time is going to have some injuries to their shoulders because your shoulders aren't made for mobility. That occurs in just about anybody who uses a wheelchair. But if you're a farmer and you're constantly going over very rough terrain over great distances, that's going to happen sooner. So we really need to look at preventing those secondary injuries so that people be as independent as possible for as long as possible. In the past, the feeling was that you didn't give people powered mobility until they needed it. These guys, these farmers need powered mobility from the get-go so that they are able to be as independent for as long as possible, so there's some change in thinking I think from conventional rehab or ideas about assistive technology in terms of prevention or ergonomics and preventing secondary injury that we need to think about very early in somebody's rehab process.
EH: Reimbursement. Is there actually reimbursement for farm equipment?
BZ: Any piece of equipment that is adaptive in nature, so it is necessary because you have a disability, could possibly be part of an employment plan and if it's part of an employment plan it could possibly by paid for through rehab services. So you have to kind of look at the whole picture. That becomes tricky when pieces of equipment are conventionally available, so a piece of equipment that any farmer might use because it's energy saving or work simplifying, but this is a piece of equipment that this farmer needs because of their disability. Assistive technology in farming doesn't always look like assistive technology. Sometimes it is what is conventionally available or commercially available so it can be tricky to look at and acquire funding.
EH: How can people find out more about AgrAbility?
BZ: We have a Web site and they also can call Good Will Easter Seals at an 800 number or they can call me directly. My direct number in New Ulm is 507-354-5380.
And we have a toll free number that will get you to the Good Will Easter Seals in Saint Paul and that number is: 800-669-6719.
EH: The Web site is www.agrabilityproject.org correct?
BZ: That is the national site and then from there you can get into any state. That's a good place to start.
EH: Well that is going to rap up this episode of STAR Point. My guest has been Beth Zabel, a Registered Occupational Therapist for the MN AgAbility program. I thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us today.
BZ: Well thank you.
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You've been listening to a broadcast of STAR Point, a production of the MN STAR Program, a System of Technology to Achieve Results. If you would like to provide feedback, be a guest on our show, or if you'd like to find out more about the STAR Program, please visit our Web site at www.admin.state.mn.us/assistiveetechnology. My name is Earle Harrison. Thank you for listening.