The Do More Agriculture Foundation and Farm Credit Canada are teaming up to provide mental health first aid training to agriculture communities.
The 2-day Mental Health First Aid program will teach participants, at no cost, how to recognize the symptoms of a mental health crisis and how to offer assistance until professional help can be obtained.
A Guelph University survey focusing on mental health in Canadian producers found 35% of producers meet the definition of depression, while 45% report having high stress and 58% of farmers meet the definition for anxiety classification.
That same survey found the majority of farmers feel that mental health resources in their community were inadequate.
Kim Keller, Co-Founder of the Do More Agriculture Foundation says mental health first aid is just as important as physical first aid.
“If someone cut their arm, broke their leg, sprained their ankle we would all know what to do," she said. "If someone was having a panic attack, or some other episode, or some other issue, chances are we may not know what to do. This actually provides our rural communities with tangible skills on how to know if someone may be experiencing a crisis, how to start that conversation.”
Applicants interested in organizing a Mental Health First Aid course in their community can find more information on the program and funding at here.
Source : Steinbachonline