California

California AgrAbility staff attended a presentation hosted by UC Davis Health called "What is Positive Aging and How Do We Do It? ." It was presented by Dr. Helen Kales, a geriatric psychiatrist and researcher with the UC Davis Health Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences. Dr. Kales discussed mental health and aging, the concept of positive aging and what it takes to age successfully. Special emphasis was placed on the factors that increase the risk of dementia later in life and lifestyle factors in early, mid, and late life, to lessen the risk for developing dementia later in life.

California AgrAbility staff has begun the "Question, Persuade, Response" (QPR) gatekeeper suicide prevention trainer certification course. QPR trainings will be offered to community healthcare clinics, county agencies, and other organization that offer support to farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers throughout California. The goal of these trainings is to bring awareness of the increasing rates of suicide in the agricultural community and how to diminish them.

California AgrAbility has recently committed to partnering with the Center for Land Based Learning (CLBL) to participate in and support the CLBL's 2021 application for the USDA AgVets grant titled "Enhancing Success of Military Veterans in Agriculture through Comprehensive Training and Wrap-Around Support" from 2021 to 2023. California AgrAbility will be hosting educational presentations for CLBL staff and program participants about AgrAbility services and service-related and general disabilities in the context of agriculture.

Submitted by California AgrAbility Project