The Importance of Head Safety in the Farming Community

Farming is a demanding, fulfilling, and essential job. It can also be dangerous! The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, 2025) indicates that 200,000 work-related injuries occur on U.S. farms annually. Farm family members, including children, account for 65 percent of those injuries.

Many types of injuries can occur on a farm. Farmers and farming families can suffer injuries from falls, animal handling, operating machinery, falling objects, slick surfaces, sharp objects, and other risks. With all these hazards, injury to the head can occur. Head injuries can put people, including farming families, at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia later in life.

What Is Dementia?

According to the Alzheimer's Association (2025b), dementia is a general term for "loss of memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life."  Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia. Over 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. By 2050, it is projected that nearly 13 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer's disease.

Not only does Alzheimer's disease and dementia affect those who suffer from it, but it also affects family members who often provide care. The Alzheimer's Association (2025a) indicates that in 2024, almost 12 million families and other caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's or other dementias provided an estimated 19 billion hours of unpaid help. A recent Penn State study found that while the role of caregiver is valued and enjoyed, caregivers were still often stressed by the emotional and financial cost of caring for their loved ones (Pojman et al., 2024).

What Are the Risk Factors?

The Alzheimer's Association (2025b) lists several risk factors for developing Alzheimer's and dementia, including age, family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. One area that researchers are particularly interested in is head trauma. According to the Brain Injury Association of America (2022), a range of studies show that moderate to severe head injury increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. If someone has a moderate head injury, their risk can more than double, and for severe head injuries, the risk can increase by over four times. The Mayo Clinic (2021) defines moderate or severe head injury as a loss of consciousness longer than several minutes with physical and cognitive symptoms such as worsening headache, nausea, inability to wake up, confusion, and slurred speech. The Brain Injury Association of America's website also states that those with multiple traumatic brain injuries and those who suffer brain injury after age 55 are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Location matters, too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2024), people living in rural areas, including children, have a greater risk of dying from a traumatic brain injury compared to people living in urban areas. This risk is due to factors such as longer travel times to receive care, limited access to trauma centers, or delays in receiving care.

Steps for Protecting Your Head

All people, including farming families, must protect against head trauma to guard against increasing their risk of Alzheimer's and dementia. Murphy & Harshman (2023) state that hard hats can protect the head from impact injuries; some also protect against side impacts. Bump caps protect the head against minor bruises. Hard hats should be replaced when damaged and should not be stored in sunlight to protect the hat's materials from weakening. Families should also ensure that children wear helmets during activities with a risk of head injuries, such as riding ATVs, bikes, or skateboards; riding horses; and playing contact sports.

If You Get Injured

If you or someone in your family has a fall, slip, crash, or any incident that results in a bump on the head and experiences head injury symptoms, it is vital to see a doctor for a proper check-up and recovery. These symptoms include loss of consciousness, memory loss or confusion, headache that is getting worse, loss of balance, vomiting or feeling nauseated, blood or clear fluid coming from the nose or ears, and mood changes. These symptoms can develop right after the fall or within a few days afterward.

Resources

Penn State Extension partners with the Alzheimer's Association for free webinars on Alzheimer's and dementia. 

AgrAbility PA is a project that provides support for farmers and agricultural workers with disabilities or long-term health conditions, including traumatic brain injury. It gives resources and services to those impacted so that they may continue to farm safely and successfully. 

Beth Kocsis is an Extension educator based in Allegheny County.

References

Alzheimer's Association. (2025a). Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia.

Alzheimer's Association. (2025b). What is dementia? Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia.

Brain Injury Association of America. (2022, June 22). Does brain injury increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease? 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 24). Health disparities in TBI. Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion. 

Mayo Clinic. (2021, February 4). Traumatic brain injury—symptoms and causes.

Murphy, D., & Harshman, W. (2023).  Head, eye, and foot protection for farm workers. Penn State Extension.

Pojman, E., Becot, F., & Inwood, S. (2024).  The complex picture of caregivers' health and well-being in the northeast region. NER-Stat: Caregiving Research Brief. Penn State and Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development. 

United States Department of Agriculture. (2022). Farm safety—A serious business. Farm Service Agency.