With more than 4000 Canberrans living with epilepsy, would you know a seizure if you saw one? Would you know what to do? First aid training does not prepare you to recognise the many types of seizures people with epilepsy might experience, or to administer emergency medication, which is why Epilepsy ACT holds regular community training sessions.
CEO of Epilepsy ACT, Fiona Allardyce, said it’s important these sessions are free for people living with epilepsy, for their family members and for their unpaid carers.
The next community training session is at Epilepsy ACT in Holder on Wednesday 17 January 12.30-2.30pm.
“We are so grateful to everyone who supports our Walk for Epilepsy around Lake Burley Griffin each March,” Ms Allardyce said. “Your support is what allows us to provide this training, helping us to ensure no one goes it alone. This is training that could save a life and definitely creates a safer community for people living with epilepsy.”
According to training facilitator, Ashleigh Gold, many people don’t know what a seizure looks like.
“There are over 60 types of seizures; for example, some seizures may just look like a person is daydreaming. Being able to identify a seizure is covered in the Understanding and Managing Epilepsy training in the first hour [before] we move on to Administration of Emergency Medication.”
Ms Gold, who is the Epilepsy ACT Support Worker and Educator, also coordinates the new Peer Support Groups rolling out in the ACT for people living with epilepsy and their support networks.
Ms Allardyce said one in 25 Canberrans will be diagnosed with epilepsy in their lifetime. “As the stigma associated with epilepsy is often worse than the condition, people are probably not likely to let you know unless you bring it up,” she said.
“This training gives you the knowledge to assist anyone with epilepsy. Everyone should have this knowledge – they just don’t know they need to have it.”
For teachers, friends, colleagues, disability and support workers, the training is $100 for the Understanding and Managing Epilepsy course and $180 for both courses.
Ms Allardyce said former participants consistently say they came away from the training with a stronger knowledge of what different seizures look like, a stronger knowledge of the impact epilepsy has on someone’s life, and an increased confidence in being able to support someone with epilepsy.
Epilepsy can develop at any stage of life, but it is more common in children, adolescents and people over 60. With more than 60 types of epilepsy, everyone’s experience with seizures is different and its impacts on people’s lives can be devastating.
Community Training takes place Wednesday 17 January 12.30-2.30pm at Grant Cameron Community Centre, 27 Mulley Street, Holder. To book, call 6287 4555 or email [email protected]. Future sessions are scheduled for Monday 18 May 5.30pm, Wednesday 15 may 10am, Wednesday 17 July 5.30pm, Monday 16 September 10am and Monday 11 November 5.30pm.
To join the Walk for Epilepsy around Lake Burley Griffin on Sunday 3 March, register at www.epilepsyact.org.au.
Epilepsy ACT also conducts training in workplaces, schools, and organisations. This training is $744 per session and can accommodate up to 15 people. Epilepsy ACT supports those in the surrounding areas of NSW (including Boorowa, Braidwood, Bungendore, Cooma, Goulburn, Gundaroo, Gunning, Murrumbateman, Queanbeyan, and Yass).
