La Jolla Senior Care News

Caregiver Awareness: Epilepsy Awareness Month

Caregivers in Coronado CA

Caregivers in Coronado CANovember is Epilepsy Awareness Month, an opportunity for you to learn more about this often misunderstood condition and how it could impact your caregiver journey. Understanding this condition is the first step in being an effective caregiver for a senior coping with the illness, a parent for a child with the disease, or an advocate for another loved one facing this condition.

Some things that you should know about epilepsy include:

  • Epilepsy is actual a group of several related disorders and though it is characterized by the tendency for a person to experience recurrent seizures, it is not the only cause of these seizures
  • The type of seizure that most people think about when it comes to seizures is referred to as a generalized seizure. This is the type that involves all areas of the brain and is characterized by stiffening of the body, rhythmic movements of the arms and legs, and even loud sounds. The eyes are usually open and the victim may seem to stop breathing. It is not unusual for the person to lose urine control during this type of seizure. The victim will often awake confused and unsure of what happened.
  • Focal seizures occur when only one area of the brain is affected. This means that the entire body is not involved in the seizure. This type of experience is characterized by small movements, such as jerking of the hands, twitches in the face, or strange sensations in the body. The person may seem confused, but since it is not as dramatic an experience it can be more difficult to pinpoint it as an actual seizure.
  • Absence seizures, also referred to as petit mal seizures, are more common in childhood than adulthood. They are very brief, sometimes only lasting a few seconds, and can occur multiple times during the day.

It is important to remember that even if your parent has been diagnosed with epilepsy and is on a treatment program with his doctor, he may still experience seizures. Medications and other treatments do not completely eliminate the chances of these incidents, making it necessary for you to know how to handle one if it happens.

Use these tips to handle a seizure should you be around when your aging loved one or someone else experiences one:

  • Cushion the person’s head to help prevent injury.
  • Remove anything around the person’s neck and loosen any clothing that may be restricting his neck.
  • Do not attempt to pry his teeth apart, hold his mouth open, or put anything into his mouth. This can cause a choking hazard and there is no risk of him harming or swallowing his tongue.
  • Turn him on his side to help reduce the chance of injury and lower choking risk in the event that he vomits.
  • Make observations of what happens during the seizure so that you can tell the emergency medical personnel when they respond, or the doctor when you get him medical attention.

Get in touch with the elder care agency in your area to find out more about epilepsy and how you can help your loved ones manage this illness during your care journey.

La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Costa, CA, and the surrounding communities."]” data-sheets-userformat=”[null,null,767,[null,0],[null,2,10667209],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],2,2,null,0]”>For more information about how the caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in Coronado, CA, and the surrounding communities.

Brittnei Salerno

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