Conceptualizing retirement in relation to health and well-being: A qualitative study of Southwestern Ontario dairy farmers

This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to examine 5 dairy farmers of Southwestern Ontario and their conceptualization of retirement, the meaning of their role as a dairy farmer, and the impact of their occupation on their health and well-being. The AOTA position statement on Occupational Therapy Services in the Promotion of Health and the Prevention of Disease and Disability and its core constructs were used as the framework for this study. Participants were recruited via snowball sampling technique. The coding process yielded 5 themes from the participants' statements. These themes addressed the meaning dairy farmers derived from their occupation, their concept of retirement, and the impact of dairy farming on their health and well-being.