Epilepsy and safety
Keeping safe inside and outside the home
Keeping safe is important for everyone. Many people with epilepsy have their seizures fully controlled by medication and so seizures may not affect their safety. If you have seizures it may be helpful to think about extra ways to keep safe in your home and when you are out and about.
When thinking about safety, it is important to think about the types of seizures you have and any risks to your safety that your seizures may bring. Thinking about risks that are most relevant for you may help to identify the most appropriate safety measures for you.
At home
The following ideas may be useful in making your home safer.
Floors and furnishings
When choosing flooring and furniture, you may want to consider your risk of injury if you were to fall during a seizure.
Some types of hard flooring, such as ceramic tiles, could cause injuries if you were to fall on them. Using non-slip flooring, lino, cushioned floor coverings or carpet may help to lower the risk of injury.
Avoiding coarse fabrics can reduce the risk of friction burns. In areas where food may be spilt, carpet tiles or fabrics that are easy to clean might be useful.
Fitting protective covers over corners on furniture or using round tables may help reduce injuries if you fall against them. Corner covers are available from baby goods shops.
Fire safety
Fire-resistant fabrics and furniture are used more commonly now and are particularly important if you or others in your house smoke. However, fire-resistant fabrics and furniture can still catch fire if the heat is intense enough, and so will not prevent a fire from starting. Having a seizure while smoking could cause a fire. The UK Fire Service recommends that everyone has a smoke alarm on each level of their home (for example, one upstairs and one downstairs) and that you check the batteries regularly.
Glass
Safety glass is designed to be either difficult to break or to hold together if it is broken. It is a legal requirement for windows in new buildings to have safety glass as it can reduce the risk of injury if someone falls against it. With older homes it may be worth checking to see if safety glass has been fitted. If not, replacing old glass with safety glass may give peace of mind.
A cheaper alternative to safety glass is safety glass film, which stops glass splintering when it is broken. Safety glass film is available from DIY or hardware stores.
Heating your home
When heating your home the following tips might lower the risk of injury in a seizure.
- Radiator guards can stop you gripping or falling onto a hot radiator.
- Using heaters that are secured to the wall or floor means you can’t knock them over.
- Covering hot pipes with lagging may prevent injury if you grip or fall against them.
- Using a fireguard that can be securely fixed to the floor can stop you falling into an open fire.
Storing medication
To make sure that your medication is not taken accidentally or by children, it is best to keep it locked away or out of reach. Some people keep their week’s medication in a drug wallet. This makes it easier to see which drugs you have taken and which you still need to take. It may also help you notice any errors, for example, if you take your medication on the wrong day or you forget to take it.
Drug wallets are available from pharmacies and from NSE's online shop.
In the kitchen
The following ideas might help make your kitchen safer if you have a seizure.
Using a cooker
- Turn saucepan handles to the side to avoid knocking pans off the cooker.
- Use the back rings or burners rather than those at the front, and grill food rather than frying it.
- If possible, use a cooker where the heat can be turned off quickly, such as a gas or halogen hob.
- Fit a cooker guard around the front of the hob so that rings or burners are harder to touch by accident.
- If possible, use a low-level grill instead of an eye-level grill, to reduce the risk of injuring your face if you have a seizure.
- If you have a heat-resistant work surface, you can slide heavy pans across that rather than lifting them.
- If you can avoid carrying hot or heavy items you may reduce the risk of injury if you have a seizure. For example, if you cook vegetables in a wire mesh cooking basket inside a saucepan, you can lift the basket out after cooking and the hot water drains back into the pan. This means you don't have to lift heavy pans of boiling water. There are also pan-locks available that secure the pan to the hob.
The following can also help to reduce the risk of scalds and burns during a seizure.
- A trolley to transfer food from oven to table so that you don’t have to carry hot or heavy dishes over a distance.
- A cordless kettle with an automatic switch off and a hinged lid that ‘locks’ shut when switched on can help prevent scalds.
- A safety cradle for your kettle means you can tip the kettle to pour the water rather than lifting it.
- Cups with plastic lids can protect you if you spill a hot drink during a seizure.
- An iron that automatically switches off after a set time when not in use can reduce the risk of burns if you have a seizure while ironing. A tumble dryer may reduce the need for ironing.
Various companies make these products. Disabled Living Foundation (opens in new window) has information on suppliers of cooker guards, cooking baskets, pan-locks and kettle tippers.
Using a microwave
When heating or cooking food, a microwave doesn’t get warm to the touch, which means it is unlikely to burn you if you touch it during a seizure. Microwaves also switch off automatically when the cooking time ends so there is less chance of food burning or a fire starting if you leave it unattended.
Microwave-proof dishes and containers should not get too hot to the touch so you are less likely to burn yourself when taking food out of the microwave. Drinks can also be heated in a microwave. Stirring the drink will disperse any uneven ‘hot spots’ which could burn your mouth.
In the bathroom
For some people with epilepsy, great care needs to be taken when bathing. Having a shower is safer than having a bath because the water drains away. This lowers the chances of drowning if you have a seizure while getting washed.
Showers
When choosing a new shower, or changing your existing one, the following tips may help.
- Avoid showers with high-sided bases as the water level can rise if the drain is covered. Level access or walk-in showers are easier to get in and out of, and can reduce the number of hard surfaces to fall against, such as the side of a bath.
- A shower curtain, rather than a screen or door, might make it easier for someone to get to you quickly if you have had a seizure in the shower.
- A fitted seat designed for use in the shower may help reduce the risks of you falling during a seizure.
- Soap trays set into the wall (instead of sticking out) and non-slip shower mats can also help reduce injuries if you fall.
Baths
If you have seizures, having a shower is generally safer than a bath because the water drains away. However, if you choose to have a bath, or if there is no alternative, then the following may help to reduce risks.
- Have a bath while someone else is around so that help is close by if it is needed. Using a baby monitor might make it easier for someone outside to hear that everything is OK, while still giving you some privacy.
- Run a shallow bath and put cold water in before the hot water. This helps prevent scalds if you have a seizure and fall into the water.
- Thermostatic mixing valves can control the temperature of the water from your taps so that it never gets too hot. It is recommended that a qualified plumber fits these for you.
Other ways to make the bathroom safer
- Have bathroom and toilet doors that open outwards to stop the door being blocked if you fall behind it. An alternative is a door which slides sideways.
- Use locks which can be unlocked from the outside, or put an 'Engaged' sign on the door instead of locking it. This allows privacy but means that someone else can open the door if they need to help you.
- Floor tiles made of rubber or other soft material, or non-slip flooring, may be safer than hard or polished floors.
- Using plastic containers for toiletries rather than glass can reduce the chances of injury if you knock them over.
In the bedroom
If there is a risk of you falling out of bed during a seizure, then low-level beds or futons means there is less distance to fall and so may lower the chance of injury. If possible, sleeping in the middle of a large bed can reduce the risk of falling out of bed during a seizure.
Padded bed sides are available to help prevent injuries during a seizure or to stop you falling out of bed. However, these should be considered with care as it may be possible for your limbs to become trapped or injured, depending on the design of the bed sides and how your seizures affect you.
Padded bed sides are available from Genie Care (opens in new window).
Safety pillows
Some people who have seizures while they are asleep use safety or ‘anti-suffocation’ pillows. The pillows have small holes in so that if you are sleeping face down you should still be able to breathe.
Safety pillows are available from Helpful Hands (opens in new window) and Sleep-Safe (opens in new window).
Home improvements
Knowing your own DIY or gardening abilities may help reduce the risks of accidents or injuries. If in doubt about doing a job yourself, it may be helpful to talk to a professional such as an electrician, plumber or gardener.
If you have seizures and would like to do your own home improvements, it may be helpful to think about the type and frequency of your seizures and the potential risks of each job.
DIY
For anyone doing DIY it is important to take proper safety measures. If you have seizures there may be other safety issues to consider. If you need to do a job at a height, using a ladder for example, it is important to think about the risk of falling if you had a seizure.
Using power tools that are battery operated instead of on mains power means there is no power cord to damage if you have a seizure while using them.
Power tools that have a safety cut-out feature are generally a good idea. For power tools that use mains power, using circuit breakers at the socket will help protect against the risk of electrocution.
In the garden
There are a number of ways to make the garden a safer place. Here are some ideas.
- Consider the types of ground coverings that are available. Grass or bark chippings rather than concrete or gravel may reduce the chance of a severe injury if you fall.
- Use a petrol lawn mower instead of an electric one, or one that automatically stops when the handle is released. Electric mowers carry a risk of you cutting through the cable during a seizure. If you do use an electric lawn mower, a circuit breaker at the plug helps protect against the risk of electrocution.
- Circuit breakers such as PowerBreaker are available from DIY stores.
If your garden has a pond, or if you plan to build one, here are some safety tips that may be helpful to think about.
- If possible put the pond where it can be seen from the house.
- Put a fence around large ponds to give yourself a safety barrier.
- Plant bushes or shrubs around the deeper side of a pond so the plants stop you getting too close to the edge.
- It is possible to fit a safety grid that sits just below the surface of the water which can hold your weight if you fall on it, without spoiling the look of the pond. Pond grids are available from Safapond (opens in new window).
Alarms
Some people who have seizures when they are asleep (nocturnal seizures) or who live alone may have an alarm. There are lots of different types of alarm. Some alarms are triggered by the person themselves, if they know they are going to have a seizure. Others are triggered if the person has convulsions or if they fall down.
Seizure alert dogs
Some people with epilepsy who have seizures may benefit from having a seizure alert dog. These dogs are trained to warn their owners before they have a seizure. This lets their owner get help or move somewhere safe before the seizure starts.
Training with a seizure alert dog is fairly intensive and you would need to be having a certain number of seizures to apply. Find out more on the Support Dogs website (opens in new window).
Further help
Your local council’s social services may be able to help by 'assessing your needs' including a risk assessment. This means that they arrange to visit you at home to see what help, support or safety equipment you might need because of your epilepsy.
See Directgov (opens in new window) for contact details for your local council.
Outside the home
Some people with epilepsy choose to wear or carry with them something that says they have epilepsy.
NSE produces a free ID card on which you can write the type of seizures you have, what medication you are taking, and how you would like to be helped when you have a seizure. You can order a free ID card from our online shop.
Bracelets and necklaces are also available which have either your medical details on them, or a telephone number where further information can be given. These can be helpful if you are taken to hospital as the doctors will be able to get information about your epilepsy and medication.
Local branches of the Lions Club may be able to help with the cost of medical jewellery. Contact the Lions head office for your nearest group on 0121 441 4544.
For more information about safety and leisure activities out side the home, see our page on epilepsy and leisure.
© The National Society for Epilepsy
Information produced in February 2009
