GAINING
SUPPORT: Orange Neurology Centre's Tracey Gough with practice manager and
support group president Bec Alpen at an epilepsy awareness stall.
For the
first time in more than 20 years Orange could get an epilepsy support nurse.
Epilepsy
Support Group Central West president Bec Alpen said the support group formed in
March and has been given funding to hire an epilepsy
nurse.
“We’ve got
$10,000 from Orange Ex-Services Club at $3000 from Orange City Council,” Mrs
Alpen said.
“We will
start with once a month for a nurse to start and then that will go to
fortnightly and then hopefully we will make it weekly … it will also depend on
the need.
“We have a
Parkinsons nurse that got installed in the last few years and I saw what
benefits came from that.
“I’ve had a
lot of patients come to me and say there’s just nothing [in terms of support].”
Mrs Alpen
said the funding applications were made months ago but they only found out more
recently about the funding.
However, she
said it may be months before a nurse is employed in the role.
She said
first the Epilepsy Support Group – Central West first needs to be formalised.
Once
employed, the nurse will provide information and support to patients and carers
living with epilepsy and to provide education to parents and carers as well as
the wider community.
Mrs Alpen
said people living with epilepsy could also go to the nurse if they were having
issues with their medication.
In the
meantime Mrs Alpen said she is trying to raise people’s awareness about
epilepsy and said due to preconceived misconceptions about epilepsy many people
do not want to tell others about their diagnosis.
“They don’t
know how people will react,” she said.
“People are
frightened so we need to [overcome] that stigma, there’s 800,000 people per
year in Australia who are diagnosed with epilepsy and there are 40 different
types.
“When people
see a person having a seizure they don’t know what to do.”
Mrs Alpen
said she has previously visited a shopping centre in Orange and saw a client
having a seizure and instead of helping them, other customers gave them a wide
berth and walked away from the person having the seizure.
She said
along with convulsive seizures there’s a wide range of types, severity and
symptoms of epilepsy including focal seizures, confusion and becoming unaware
of the world around them.
Tips on what to do if you see someone
having a seizure:
-Convulsive
seizures – DO
-Stay with
the person
-Time
seizure
-Protect
from injury especially the head
-Roll onto
the side after jerking stops OR immediately if there is food/fluid/vomit in
mouth
-Observe and
monitor breathing
-Gently
reassure until recovered
Convulsive seizures – DO NOT
-Put
anything in the person’s mouth
-Restrain
the person
-Move the
person unless in danger
Focal dyscognitive seizures
(non-convulsive seizures)
-Stay with
the person
-Time the
seizure
-Gently
guide away from harm
-Reassure
until recovered
-DO NOT
restrain the person unless in danger
Call triple zero for an ambulance IF:
-You are in
any doubt
-Injury has
occurred
-There is
food/fluid/vomit in mouth
-Seizure
occurs in water
-Person has
breathing difficulties after jerking stops
-Another
seizure quickly follows
-Seizure
lasts longer than five minutes
-The person
is non-responsive for more than five minutes after the seizure ends.
