As many of our supporters will be aware, over the last number of years we have been promoting the key words of Time, Safe, Stay to the public as key words to remember when responding to a seizure.
At Epilepsy Ireland, it is continually communicated to us how important it is that the wider public know what to do when responding to a seizure, and Time, Safe, Stay is exactly what a person should do. The basis of each key word is outlined below:
TIME
The first thing you should do is TIME the seizure. This is because if a seizure goes over 5 minutes, an ambulance should be called.
SAFE
Keep the person SAFE during the seizure. If a person is having a convulsive seizure, cushion their head with something soft if possible and remove any harmful objects, e.g. furniture from their vicinity. NEVER put anything in a person's mouth or restrain them during a seizure.
Be aware that there are also types of seizures where the person does not experience convulsions. Instead, they may “zone out” or stare blankly, become confused or agitated, display behaviours like chewing, smacking their lips, fiddling with their clothes, or wandering aimlessly. In this type of seizure, the person’s awareness of their surroundings is affected, and it is important to gently guide the person away from any danger. As with convulsive seizures, never restrict the person’s movements.
STAY
During the seizure and after it passes, STAY with the person. Often after a seizure, a person with epilepsy will be confused and in many cases, exhausted. Make sure to stay with them until recovery is complete, explain what has happened and gently reassure them. The person may have experienced an injury if they have fallen, and if this is the case, ensure normal first aid steps are taken.
While there is still much work to be done, we do feel the messaging around Time, Safe, Stay is working. In a recent public awareness survey of 1,000 members of the public, 45% of respondents when prompted with the terms Time, Safe, Stay recalled hearing it in relation to seizure first aid.
With this week being National Epilepsy Week – an important week in our calendar to raise awareness of epilepsy - to continue to promote awareness of seizure first aid and Time, Safe, Stay, we have published updated seizure first aid posters which emphasize the key words of TIME, SAFE, STAY.
You can download the new posters on our website at the links below:
- Download the poster for Tonic Clonic (Convulsive) seizures
- Download the poster for Focal Impaired Awareness (Non-convulsive) seizures
We would encourage you to please share these posters with your family, friends, colleagues, teammates, workplaces and everywhere else in between so we can ensure the Irish public are seizure aware!
If you would like printed versions of the posters, please get in touch with your details by emailing info@epilepsy.ie.
If you need any further information around epilepsy, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your local Community Resource Officer. You can find their details by visiting the ‘Our Services’ section of our website. You can also see some of the stories we have shared for National Epilepsy Week by visiting the 'Advocacy' section of our website.