Roger had seen other farm owners in his area suffer from the side effects of a very tough lifestyle.
As a second generation farmer who had recently taken over the farm from his father, he worked long hours every day. It was extremely stressful juggling all of the things that needed to be done to keep the farm operation both profitable and compliant. And there had been a few members of Roger’s family who had suffered heart scares.
As a precaution, he had a financial risk assessment done by an insurance adviser, who recommended a number of covers to protect Roger, his family, and the continuing operation of the farm.
It was the end of a particularly long and stressful day, when Roger had dealt with several mechanical breakdowns and a staff member having a meltdown. He started to feel unwell, was short of breath, and complaining of a sore chest. His wife immediately called 111, and the emergency services arrived quickly.
Their assessment was that Roger was having a heart attack, and the rescue helicopter was called. After a short flight to the hospital, a heart attack was confirmed, along with several blocked arteries.
After being stabilised from the heart attack, two stents were inserted to open the arteries. Roger was released from hospital five days later, and he returned to the farm with strict instructions from his doctors that he was not allowed to work. He called the insurance adviser to advise him of the situation and to lodge a claim.
The adviser had earlier recommended to Roger that he take a ‘locum’ type cover, in case something happened to him. This cover provided funds to employ someone to replace him for a period of time. Roger’s farm manager stepped up, and they brought on another farmhand to assist.
The heart attack qualified Roger for a payment on his Trauma policy, and so during the time he medically was unable to work he was eligible for payments on his Loss of Revenue policy.
He took his doctor’s advice about easing back into day-to-day farm duties, and while recuperating took the opportunity to have a critical look at how things were done.
Roger used some of his Trauma pay out to upgrade equipment and mechanise the milking shed, while also taking on another staff member to relieve him of the heavy duty day-to-day work.
Roger now has time to assess priorities on the farm, and to plan how things should happen. He’s having regular health checks, and is benefiting from the serious changes to his lifestyle.
If you want to protect your loved ones, talk to Jenny:
Foundation Advice Limited
Jenny Fromén - 027 533 8077
www.foundationadvice.nz
www.facebook.com/foundationadvice
