Epilepsy Train the Trainer Course

Epilepsy is a complex neurological disorder that causes unusual electrical activity in the brain. This electrical activity results in recurrent and unprovoked seizures that can cause temporary and abrupt changes in movements, feelings and consciousness. It can affect people of all ages and has many potential causes, including genetics and brain injury.

1. Focal Epilepsy – This is the most common type of epilepsy in adults, where seizures start in one specific part of the brain and can result in unusual feelings, twitching or confusion.
2. Generalised Epilepsy – This is where seizures affect both sides of the brain, resulting in absence seizures and tonic-clonic seizures. Generalised Epilepsy is more common in children and teenagers, but can occur at any age.
3. Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) – JME affects between 5 to 10% of people with epilepsy and can result in sudden jerks or twitches which is more common in the morning.
4. Photosensitive Epilepsy – Photosensitive epilepsy is particularly common in young people and is triggered by flashing lights or certain visual patterns.

Witnessing someone having a seizure can be extremely scary, though it’s important to remain calm and focus on minimising the risk to yourself or the individual. If you are with someone having a seizure, you should follow NHS guidelines:

1. Do not move the individual unless there is a likelihood of injury from environmental hazards.
2. If the individual is on the ground or a hard surface, cushion their head to reduce the risk of injury.
3. Ensure the individual can breathe without difficulty – you may need to loosen their clothing to make it easier.
4. Once convulsions stop, place the individual into the recovery position and stay with them until they recover.
5. Make a note of any useful information that can be helpful for the individual or their doctor to know. This can include the time the seizure starts and finishes, what the individual was doing in the leadup to the seizure and any observations made during the seizure, such as what parts of the body were affected or if the person’s colour changed.

After completing this Epilepsy Train the Trainer training course, participants will be qualified to deliver Epilepsy Awareness training to any in-house team.

Our Epilepsy Train the Trainer course takes 1 day (6 hours) to complete.