Fieldays: Brain health and mental wellbeing worth thinking about

Wearing fluffy cat ears which spin around translating your brainwaves is not what a farmer would do on a normal day in the yards. And growers are more likely to walk between crop rows, not through the middle of an inflatable brain.

But these opportunities at the Fieldays Health Hub help to draw the rural crowd in, encouraging people to take a moment to think about their own health. This year, brain health and mental wellbeing are recurring themes at the annual rural gathering at Mystery Creek in Hamilton.

One exhibit that was hard to miss was the giant pink inflatable brain. Courteney Westlake guides people through the middle of the body's most complex organ.

"We've had really good conversations with a lot of farmers and farming families talking about their experiences with brain disorders and mental health, which has been really interesting."

Westlake said these conversations had been fascinating and engaging, and she felt fortunate to have these discussions with Fieldays visitors.

And as for the fluffy cat ears? They were an EEG headset, which translates brainwaves in our heads into movement.

"It gives a little window into what you might be thinking about," Westlake said.

Anna tried out the unusual headset. She said it felt weird and, the way they were buzzing around, you could see she was thinking.

Westlake said behind the quirky headset was the deeper message that your brain is something you need to take care of. She said it was something you can control and look after.

Neil Bateup, the chair of the Rural Support Trust, said farmers face a lot of pressure in their day-to-day work and their personal lives and it was important for mental health to connect with other people.

"Just get out and talk to others. Talk to one another, support one another, lean over the fence and have a yarn."

Bateup said Fieldays is magnificent for people's mental health because there was a heap of people all engaging and having a great time.

Brain health is not just about mental wellbeing, but also brain safety. Sue Giddens worked for the Centre for Brain Research, and said there was a clear number one risk for brain safety on farms - motorbikes.

"On-farm motorbike accidents - we've had some people through here yesterday who had experience of having accidents on farms on four-wheelers."

The Health and Wellbeing Hub also had a range of health providers and screening services on offer for Fieldays visitors. It was hoped it would encourage people to take as good care of themselves as they do their crops and cows.