APRIL 2021

Parkinson’s disease impacts over one million people living in the United States, and rural or agricultural communities may encounter challenges and barriers to diagnosis or specialized care.

UMASH partnered with AgriSafe Network to host Aging and Parkinson’s Disease in Agriculture. On April 13, over 100 attendees joined the webinar to hear about the landscape of aging in agriculture, learn about the effects of Parkinson’s Disease and what it means for agricultural work, and hear about rural-specific tools and resources that help maximize farmer functioning.

Averi Olson, Occupational Therapy Student, presented on behalf of UMASH and shared work she completed during her doctoral capstone project with UMASH. Dr. Kristen Pickett also shared insight on a UMASH Partner Project, Active @ Home, that equips agricultural families with Parkinson’s Disease with kits and telehealth support.

Watch the Webinar

The webinar is available on demand, for free, and can be used to obtain Continuing Education Units for nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and other professionals.

Continuing Education

The Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety partnered in providing CEUs for this event.

Resources

Physical Health Resources

Farm workers are at a high risk for both fatal and nonfatal physical injuries and illnesses. More than just preparing to avoid a one time incident, farm safety is also about continual practices and measures taken to protect the health and wellbeing of agricultural workers. Learn more about prevention methods with these resources.

Learn More

Parkinson's Disease Resources: Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the dopamine producing cells in the brain, causing a dopamine deficiency. This lack of dopamine causes motor (movement-related) and non-motor symptoms