More than half of UK people wouldn’t know what to do if they saw someone having a seizure, according to a survey of 2,000 people by Epilepsy Action. This is despite the fact that this simple knowledge could help prevent people coming to harm and even save their life.
This statistic underpins Epilepsy Action’s new campaign, Could I Count on You, launched last week, encouraging people to become more familiar with seizure first aid and become an ally to people with epilepsy.
The survey revealed a lack of knowledge and confidence among the UK public around seizures and the steps to take if you see one in public.
While 54% of respondents felt they wouldn’t know what to do if they saw someone having a seizure, 37% said they would only recognise a seizure if they saw someone convulsing (like during a tonic-clonic seizure).
Only 2% said they would consider that someone walking into a busy road could be having a seizure. More people said they would assume attempted suicide (13%) or drug or alcohol abuse (4%).
Also, 9% said their instinct would be to hold the person down and 22% said they would put something in the person’s mouth. This could cause harm to them and the person having a seizure.
Nearly a quarter of people admitted they would probably panic or freeze under the pressure, and two in five (39%) said they worried they might make the situation worse.
Remember to CARE
But with its new campaign, Epilepsy Action is asking people to familiarise themselves with a few simple steps that “can make a huge difference and even help save a life”.
The charity’s acronym CARE is a useful reminder of the steps to take if you see someone having a seizure.
- Comfort: Cushion their head with something soft, to protect them from injury and keep them comfortable
- Action: Start to time the seizure and clear the area of anything that might be harmful. You could also check if the person has a medical ID or bracelet with more information on how to help
- Reassure: When the seizure has stopped, place them in the recovery position, stay with them and reassure them as they come round
- Emergency: Call an ambulance if the seizure goes on for more than five minutes, or if they go straight into another seizure or has trouble breathing.
Epilepsy Action has also launched an interactive online tool to help the public test their knowledge and learn how to react if they see someone having a seizure.
Presence and level-headedness
In a survey of nearly 900 people with epilepsy, the value of being able to count on members of the public became clear.
Half of people (51%) said they are likely to seriously hurt themselves during a seizure if no one stepped in to help. Just over half of people (53%) said they thought it was unlikely that a member of the public would help them during a seizure, but nearly half (47%) said they would feel ‘very reassured’ knowing the public was more aware.
Murray Goulder, 45 from Crawley, lives with absence seizures, meaning during these episodes, he can walk without any awareness of what he is doing or where he is going. During one absence seizure, he almost walked onto a train track.
Speaking about the experience, he said: “The worst situation was coming home from work one day – I was in Farringdon station. I remember walking down the stairs, then being told I had dropped my bag and walked towards the platform. The gent that stopped me, got me on the next train and went 45 mins in the wrong direction to hand me over to the local station team to get me safely out of the station and home.”
Rebekah Smith, chief executive of Epilepsy Action said: “With one in 100 people having epilepsy, you could easily encounter someone having a seizure in a public place, so it’s vital we know the basics to help them.
“Seizures are more common than people think and can take many forms, from convulsive seizures to brief episodes of lost awareness.
“Most stop within a couple of minutes, that’s why staying calm is so important – it allows you to think clearly, provide reassurance, and respond in a way that’s helpful rather than harmful.
“Your presence and level-headedness can be incredibly reassuring for the person when they regain awareness. The best thing you can do for someone having a seizure is to remain calm, keep them safe, and wait it out.”
During a seizure, people with epilepsy cannot take care of themselves and they often need help from strangers to keep them safe. You can become someone they can count on by finding out more about the Could I Count on You campaign and learning more about seizure first aid on the Epilepsy Action website.
More articles
