News from the Arthritis Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Amber Wolfe AgrAbility Project Coordinator (317) 879-0321 x 212 awolfe@arthritis.org Arthritis Foundation Announces AgrAbility Grant Award {November 21, 2012 Indianapolis, IN} The Arthritis Foundation is pleased to announce that the AgrAbility Project, a partnership funded by the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture, between Purdue University, the Arthritis Foundation, Goodwill Industries of the Finger Lakes region, and the University of Illinois- Champagne Urbana has been awarded another four-year grant to continue arthritis and agriculture work in Indiana and surrounding states. This grant award will allow the AgrAbility Project to continue its work providing education and support to agricultural professionals and their families who have been affected by arthritis so that a farmer, rancher, or farm worker may continue to live a productive life in agriculture. Funding for the continuation of this partnership means we will be able to build upon the educational outreach that has been accomplished since 2008 by providing additional public education forums on arthritis and agriculture, continue to educate and train the AgrAbility and Arthritis Foundation staff nationwide on how to effectively reach farmers and other agricultural workers, and will allow us to create additional resources for use in rural areas across the country. I am extremely excited about the possibilities for the next four years, stated Amber Wolfe, AgrAbility Project Coordinator. The new grant cycle began on September 1, 2012 and will run for four more years. About Arthritis and Agriculture About one-third of all farmers in this country have some form of arthritis that hinders them from doing daily chores because of either stiffness or pain in the joints. This equals nearly 320,000 farmers, and only includes those that listed farming as their main occupation on the Ag Census forms. Many agricultural workers do not know they may be at risk of developing osteoarthritis. With the average age of the American farmer climbing above 57, increasingly more farmers will find tasks difficult to complete. Farmers and ranchers with arthritis are faced with many obstacles that limit their ability to continue farming. Like farming, arthritis is often a 24-hour, 7-day a week occupation. About the Arthritis Foundation Striking one in every five adults and 300,000 children, arthritis is the nations leading cause of disability. The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is committed to raising awareness and reducing the impact of this serious, painful and unacceptable disease, which can severely damage joints and rob people of living life to its fullest. The Foundation funds life-changing research that has restored mobility in patients for more than six decades; fights for health care policies that improve the lives of the millions who live with arthritis; and partners with families to provide empowering programs and information. About AgrAbility AgrAbility consists of the National AgrAbility Project (NAP) and the State/Regional AgrAbility Projects (SRAP's). Both the National AgrAbility Project and the State and Regional AgrAbility Projects must be in partnership with a land grant university and at least one non-profit disability organization. The Arthritis Foundation is the funded nonprofit partner in the National AgrAbility Project as well as the Indiana AgrAbilty project, also known as Breaking New Ground at Purdue University.

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