Submitted by Stacey Hathaway, Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut located in Middletown is one of nearly 50 affiliates of the National organization throughout the United States. The Foundation connects people to treatment, support and other resources; leads advocacy efforts; promotes research and provides free training and education to the public, first responders and school systems, in how to recognize seizures and administer seizure first aid.
While the Epilepsy Foundation promotes awareness throughout the year, this initiative comes at a time when more education is needed to increase public knowledge about epilepsy and seizure first aid. Executive Director, Linda Wallace said, “it is critical that everyone know what to do if they see someone having a seizure.” That’s why, this November, we challenge everyone to join our National Epilepsy Awareness Month efforts to help end epilepsy by learning seizure first aid and educating others in their community.” Please join us in the following initiatives. Be sure to take a picture and share it with us, we will post it on our Facebook page.
Light your Porch Purple
This Halloween, on the eve of Epilepsy Awareness Month, turn one of your porch lights purple. Grab a purple light bulb and exchange one regular lightbulb with a purple one. Better yet keep it purple for the whole month! Encourage others to do the same. Light your home, school or workplace and help your community get seizure smart.
Dress In Purple Day At School Or Workplace
Host a Dress in Purple Day at your child’s school or your place of work. Wear purple and donate $1.00 to the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut. Take a group pic, send it to EFCT and we will put you on our Facebook page!
The Purple Pumpkin Project
Grab a pumpkin, purple paint, a paint brush and some friends…it’s time to paint your pumpkin purple.
This Halloween, on the eve of Epilepsy Awareness Month, turn one of your PUMPKINS PURPLE, and encourage others to do the same. Host a PURPLE PUMPKIN decorating or carving event at your home, school or workplace and help your community get seizure smart.
Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It’s also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.
A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.
Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from convulsions and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures by the person experiencing them or by health care professionals: blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms and legs.
A seizure happens when the electrical system of the brain malfunctions. Instead of discharging electrical energy in a controlled manner, the brain cells keep firing. The result may be a surge of energy through the brain, causing unconsciousness and contractions of the muscles.
If only part of the brain is affected, it may cloud awareness, block normal communication, and produce a variety of undirected, uncontrolled, unorganized movements.
Most seizures last only a minute or two, although confusion afterwards may last longer. An epilepsy syndrome is defined by a collection of similar factors, such as type of seizure, when they developed in life, and response to treatment.
There are many different types of seizures. People may experience just one type or more than one. The kind of seizure a person has depends on which part and how much of the brain is affected.
Q: How do doctors treat epilepsy?
Mostly with daily medication to prevent seizures. Some children are helped with a special diet.
Some people may be helped by a brain operation , by a nerve stimulation device or complementary therapy if the medications don’t work.
Q: How do you help someone having a seizure?
When providing seizure first aid for generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures, these are the key things to remember:
DO:
Keep calm and reassure other people who may be nearby.
- Time the seizure with your watch.
- Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp.
- Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make breathing difficult.
- Put something flat and soft, like a folded jacket, under the head.
- Turn him or her gently onto one side. This will help keep the airway clear.
- Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally.
- Be friendly and reassuring as consciousness returns.
- Offer to call a taxi, friend or relative to help the person get home if he seems confused or unable to get home by himself.
DON’T:
- Don’t hold the person down or try to stop his movements.
- Do not try to force the mouth open with any hard implement or with fingers. A person having a seizure CANNOT swallow his tongue.
- Do not attempt to give anything orally.
- Do not keep the person lying on their back.
- Don’t attempt artificial respiration except in the unlikely event that a person does not start breathing again after the seizure has stopped.
For more information about your local Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut please visit www.epilepsyct.com. Or call 860-346-1924
To learn more about seizure first aid, please visit www.epilepsy.com/FirstAid.
