Michigan AgrAbility won’t let farmers with aging conditions, illnesses, or disabilities keep them from doing their job.
“There’s a lot of back, shoulder, arthritis, hearing and vision issues,” says Bev Berens, communications and outreach specialist for the non-profit. “We come on the farm and go through part of your day, see where your major focus of work is, and how we can help figure out ways to do that—work better and easier to save strength and keep as much pain from your life as possible.”
Over time, physical demands of farming can cause joint pain and arthritis. AgrAbility is now offering a new service to Spanish-speakers through its newest team member, Andrea Garza.
“She’s been going around to some of the larger farms with seasonal and year-round help that are Spanish-speaking,” says Berens. “She goes through an arthritis screening with them which has been very helpful. They really appreciate someone going through this with them, and they get a free gift after going through it. She’s also been able to get tools to help them do their work better.”
Berens says offering these services to Spanish-speakers helps these farm workers do their jobs easier and with less pain.
“This is a great opportunity to help these folks that are helping farms succeed and continue in Michigan.”
To learn more about Garza’s services, click here.
