Home Safety

Do the people around you know how to help if you have a seizure?

Make sure your family, friends, teachers or coworkers know seizure first aid. Hang up a first aid poster in a prominent place. You and your family should also know first aid for choking.

Carry a card in your wallet or wear a medical identification bracelet or necklace (available from Medic Alert by phoning 1800 882 222).

Avoid things that trigger seizures, like forgetting to take your medication, not getting enough sleep, or drinking alcohol.

Carry a small pre-programmed phone or beeper in case you have to call for help and you are away from a telephone.

Have you ever fallen during a seizure at home?
Making specific changes around the home can significantly reduce such injuries.

Carpet the floors, including entranceways and bathrooms, using dense-pile carpet with thick underpadding.

Avoid free-standing or table lamps and glass decorations.

Whenever possible, sit down when doing household chores or using tools.

Avoid smoking, lighting fires or candles when you’re by yourself.

Keep floors clear of clutter and tie up dangling electrical cords.

Avoid climbing up on chairs or ladders, especially when alone. Put safety gates at the top of steep stairs.

Securely lock outside doors if you tend to wander during a seizure.

If your seizures are very frequent and sudden, consider wearing a helmet with face guard and/or knee or elbow pads, at least when you’re at home alone.

Do you get seizures at night?

Avoid using hard-edged bed frames or sharp-cornered bedside tables.

Avoid top bunks.

Avoid potentially suffocating sleeping surfaces, like waterbeds.

A monitor in your bedroom may alert others to the sound of a typical seizure.

High tech, seizure alarms (eg. triggered by seizure movements in bed) are now available.

Have you ever had a seizure while cooking?

Avoid burns, cuts and other injuries by taking these steps:

Use a microwave oven for boiling water and cooking.

When using a stove
Use the back burners as much as possible.
Saucepan handles should face the side of back of the stove.
Use a stove guard that fits around the side or front of the stove.
Use long, heavy duty oven mitts when reaching into a hot oven.

Cook when someone else is at home whenever possible.

Buy a kettle and iron with an automatic shut off.

Avoid knives, slicers, etc. Use a blender of food processor, or foods that are pre-cut or already prepared.

Consider a wall-mounted or table top ironing board.

Use unbreakable dishes to prevent cuts, and cups with lids to prevent burns.

Avoid carrying hot food or liquids.

When using a dishwasher, ensure that knives and other sharp utensils have their blades pointed downwards and are placed safely out of the way.

Wear rubber gloves when washing glassware or handling knives.

Have you ever had a seizure in the bathtub?

Here’s what you can do to reduce the risk of injury or drowning:

Take showers rather than baths.

Routinely check that the bathroom drain works. Don’t let face cloths or sponges block the drain, allowing the tub to fill with water.

Put non-skid strips or a rubber bath mat on the floor of the shower.

Shower only when someone else is at home. (Singing in the shower will reassure others that you’re doing fine.) Otherwise, take a sponge bath using the sink.

Set water thermostat low to prevent scalding. Turn on the cold water first and turn off the hot water first.

Be wary of a very hot shower - some people find heat to be a seizure trigger. Keep your bathroom well-ventilated.

If you fall frequently during seizures, using a shower/tub seat with a safety strap, a hand-held shower nozzle, and padding the edges of the tub with a folded towel may be helpful.

Avoid glass shower doors. Use shatterproof glass for mirrors.

Leave the bathroom door unlocked. An “Occupied” sign will do the trick.

Hang your bathroom door so it opens outwards instead of inwards if you might fall against a closed door.

Avoid using hair dryers, electric razors, or other electrical appliances in the bathroom, or near water, or when you’re alone.

Consider using a padded toilet seat.

Source: Epilepsy Toronto 2005 ‘Safety & Epilepsy’ Epilepsy Matters,
Volume 1 (Issue 3) Fall 2000, www.epilepsytoronto.org