DEMENTIA and its impact on farming businesses – and on the home lives of farming families – is at the centre of new research carried out by the University of Plymouth, the first time that research has addressed this issue.

“Farming and the farm itself are more than merely business interests; they are an important part of lifestyle and identity," explained the university's Dr Claire Kelly. "There is therefore justifiable fear that a diagnosis of dementia can lead to the loss of the farm, the home and everything that is familiar.

"Taking over financial responsibility for the farm can take many months to sort out if someone becomes incapacitated, but in the meantime, the farm needs to continue to function as a business, so fodder needs to be bought, animals bought and sold, etc, which can be very difficult if the farm business is solely in the name of the person living with dementia.”

The year-long study, undertaken by Dr Kelly and Dr Richard Yarwood, with support from Ian Sherriff, interviewed 16 farmers and their families about their experiences of dementia and its impact on their business and home lives. Four main areas of concern arose – the dangers of the farm environment; the reluctance to ask for help; support services; and changing rural communities.

The hazardous nature of farms is amplified for people whose concentration is affected by dementia, increasing the danger of being crushed by animals, falling into slurry pits or being trapped in or under machinery. The interviews also found that it can be hard for affected farmers to maintain standards of animal health and welfare, and that running a farm while at the same time caring for a family member living with dementia can lead to enormous strain on other family members.

But despite this, farmers can be reluctant to ask for help, which can lead to isolation and a desire to hide problems from the outside world. The unique social and economic context of farming meant that often, farmers continued working long after the state retirement age. As a consequence, health issues such as dementia, which show increased prevalence amongst older populations, can be particularly hard for farm businesses, especially if plans to hand-on the business to the next generation have not been made.

There was also a lack of knowledge about crucial legal steps such as setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney to cover when affected farmers were no longer able to run the farming business. Few of the interviewees had kept their wills up-to-date.

Mr Sherriff commented: “Dementia is a growing health problem, with an anticipated increase in the number of cases of 156% between now and 2051, according to statistics from the Alzheimer’s Society. This equates to two million people, and the burden will fall on rural areas where there are significantly higher proportions of elderly people.

"The burden will impact farming businesses, communities and the rural economy, yet little is known about how this impact will manifest itself and what kind of specialist care networks will need to be in place to tackle it. Our research has gone some way to identifying and addressing concerns, and we are looking forward to working with the farming community and the agencies and organisations that support it, to implement our recommendations.”