This article explores how elderly English-speaking Indian immigrant women living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada perceive and manage mental distress. With elders' consent, in-depth interviews were recorded, transcribed and transcripts were thematically analyzed. The findings suggest that these women believed that to lower the risk of mental distress it is critical for individuals to ;maximize control over inner self' by ;being busy.' The elder's busy behavior is framed within the Indian cultural and spiritual/faith matrix in dialogue with acculturation experiences in Canada. ;Staying busy' allows these elders to use culture as a ;moral medicine' to facilitate coping and adaptation.

In the summer of 2005, southern Alberta received heavy rainfall that led to extensive flooding. Four separate flooding events severely affected several rural communities, roads, bridges, and businesses within the region; specifically, the flooding affected farm families living on Canada's largest feedlot operations in the area. This article explores the health-related impacts of the 2005 flood events on families who reside on feedlot farms in southern Alberta. Utilizing random sampling, an in-person survey was conducted between September and December 2005 with 33 affected feedlot farm families living in the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District, home of the greatest number of large beef feedlot operations in Canada. Three percent of participants (and 12% of their family members) reported flood-related health problems. However, 63% of participants (and 58% of their family members) reported flood-related mental health problems, and 40% (and 24% of family members) indicated that they experienced isolation and helplessness. Only 9% of the participants accessed health services. Most participants reported that their communities were more helpful in dealing with their flood-related health problems than were public and service delivery sectors. A majority (91%) of participants reported that their family was helpful, followed by friends (64%), neighbors (42%), church (39%), and employees (36%). Among the affected feedlot farm families, a small percentage experienced physical health problems but a much larger percentage had mental health problems. However, only a few utilized health care services. This information will be important to health care leaders and policy makers as they plan and develop efficient and effective health care support for farm families exposed to flooding events.

This article explores the extent to which water contamination reports influence water use practices of feedlot operators and their households in southern Alberta. An in-person survey was conducted with 33 feedlot farm families living in the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District. The analyses reveal that there are variations in operators' knowledge of local water contamination reports and the ways in which these reports influence water use practices. For example, while 88% of participants were aware of reports that the South Saskatchewan River Basin has a very high level of pesticide residues, only 24% said that this has always influenced the way they use their water for domestic use. While this study provides insight into understanding the relationship between water contamination reports and water use practices of feedlot farm families, it also serves as a starting point for a more extensive socioeconomic and health survey focused on this population.Résumé : Le présent article examine la mesure suivant laquelle les rapports sur la contamination de l'eau influent sur les pratiques d'utilisation de l'eau des exploitants de parc d'engraissement et de leur foyer dans le sud de l'Alberta. Une enquête a été menée en personne auprès de 33 familles d'exploitants agricoles de parc d'engraissement dans la zone d'irrigation « Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District ». Les analyses révèlent des écarts dans les connaissances des exploitants en ce qui concerne les rapports de contamination de l'eau à l'échelle locale et la manière dont ces rapports influent sur les pratiques d'utilisation de l'eau. Par exemple, même si 88 % des participants à l'enquête étaient au courant des rapports selon lesquels le bassin de la rivière Saskatchewan Sud présente un niveau très élevé de résidus de pesticides, seulement 24 % d'entre eux ont déclaré que ces rapports ont toujours eu une influence sur la manière dont ils utilisent l'eau à des fins domestiques. Bien qu'elle nous permette de mieux comprendre le lien qui existe entre les rapports sur la contamination de l'eau et les pratiques d'utilisation de l'eau des familles qui exploitent un parc d'engraissement, cette étude sert également d'amorce à une enquête plus approfondie sur le contexte socioéconomique et sur les questions de santé propres à cette population. 214Canadian Water Resources Journal/Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques

The province of Alberta, like other provinces in Canada, has made considerable progress in increasing supply of good quality water for domestic use and consumption. However, the quality of rural drinking water in southern Alberta has received considerable attention in recent years because of intensive agricultural activities, livestock density, floods and the highest incidence of E coli O157:H7 infection in the country. In fact relevant literature indicates that the region's water sources have high concentration levels of nitrate and/or coliform bacteria that exceed drinking water guidelines thus threatening the health of local farmers and residents. Little information is available on the farmstead drinking water safety practices of livestock farm families in southern Alberta so an inperson survey of feedlot farm families was carried out in Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID), one of the 13 irrigation districts located in southern Alberta. All respondents strongly agreed that access to safe and clean drinking water is essential for human and animal health and performance and they indicated that they use multiple water sources to avoid health problems. Other drinking water safety practices included the use of bottled water and/or home water treatment technologies for human consumption and the use of LNID monitored irrigation water for feedlot operations and gardens. Regarding the type of home water treatment technology used, a majority (over 70%) used filtered water for cooking, drinking and washing. Only 9% used the city water supply for domestic purposes and 6% depended on the LNID water supply. It was interesting to note that 66% were concerned about their local water source and 67% were concerned about waterborne illnesses and 45% of respondents reported that they tested their water quality annually.

In the summer of 2005, southern Alberta received the heaviest precipitation in the region's history. Heavy and persistent rains during June and September triggered heavy flooding in Oldman River basin, the principal source of water used in nine of thirteen irrigation districts of southern Alberta. In the fall of 2005, a flood impact survey of feedlot farm families was conducted in the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID). The objectives of the survey were to determine the types of feedlot operation problems the farm families encountered during the flooding, their responses to the immediate problems, and their plans to reduce future risks. The analyses revealed that most experienced major flood-related problems on their farm operations. For instance, 97% reported problems associated with feedlot and flood runoff management, animal health and performance, and damages to feed and storage facilities. To reduce the effects of excess contaminated water, a vast majority (85%) of respondents reported that they sprayed contaminated floodwater onto their cropland. A majority (82%) of the respondents treated their sick animals themselves and 39% said that they have no future flood risk reduction plans for their farm operations. However, the majority of them do have plans for reducing the impacts of future floods, to protect the water quality, the health of their animals and their livelihood.