An Epilepsy information afternoon will be held in Letterkenny next week to mark International Epilepsy Day.
February 11th is International Epilepsy Day (#EpilepsyDay) and Epilepsy Ireland is using the day to focus on seizure awareness with Ireland Rugby Coach, Joe Schmidt supporting this year’s campaign.
As part of the day Epilepsy Ireland Community Resource Officer, Agnes Higgins will also host an Epilepsy Information afternoon at Boots Pharmacy, Paddy Harte Road , from 12pm to 3pm.
International Epilepsy Day is celebrated around the world to help promote better public understanding of the condition. Historically, epilepsy has not been well understood and many people report experiencing stigma and discrimination, often leading to a reluctance to disclose or discuss the subject.
Epilepsy Ireland CEO Peter Murphy said: “We are delighted to have Joe Schmidt again support us with our be a ‘Team Player’ campaign. His association with Epilepsy Ireland has significantly increased the condition’s awareness among the Irish public. Over 40,000 people have the epilepsy across the country and for this year’s International Epilepsy Day, we are asking the public to familiarise themselves with seizure first aid.”
“Thankfully, awareness in Ireland has improved in recent years but there are still myths and misunderstandings that persist. This #EpilepsyDay, we want to encourage everyone to spend just a few minutes to understand a little more about what to do if someone has a seizure”, said Peter Murphy.
If someone has a seizure, remember TEAM:
T –Take care to protect the person
E – Ensure you stay with them
A – Allow the seizure run its course
M –Move them on to their side until the seizure is over
Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurring seizures. It can affect people of all ages, but is more prevalent in children, adolescents and the elderly. It is a treatable condition and the majority of people can become seizure-free thanks to medications or in some cases through surgical intervention.
However, for about one in three people, existing treatments do not control the seizures and for this group in particular, epilepsy can be particularly debilitating, affecting the person’s education, employment, psychological & social functioning, self-esteem and independent living.
For more information on International Epilepsy Day log onto www.epilepsy.ie.
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