What to do when someone has a seizure

Key points:

• Stay calm and note the time the seizure starts on your phone or wristwatch — remain close and talk calmly with the person

• Try not to move the person unless absolutely necessary (road, dangerous surface or objects nearby), but cushioning their head, loosening anything restricting airflow or rolling them on their side AFTER convulsions is advised

• If the seizure lasts longer than anticipated, is episodic in nature (one, followed by another) or if you believe it may be the first time a person is having an attack, call 000 immediately

This edition of Disability Support Guide will address how to handle someone nearby who is starting to have a seizure.

 It is important to note that people with epilepsy or another condition which may lead them to experience seizures, calling emergency services may not be strictly necessary, as people with the condition are advised to create an action plan. However, if someone begins to have a seizure in public or you’re uncertain of their status, call for help and do not attempt to ‘solve’ a seizure on your own during convulsions.

Symptoms of a seizure

Symptoms indicating someone has begun to experience a seizure may include:

• Spasms, tremors, nodding, jerking or odd movements which may be loose or rigid
• Staring off vacantly, becoming vague, confused or not quite ‘with it’
• Drooling
• Odd eye movements (rolling, transfixed, inattentive)
• Hallucinations
• Loss of consciousness (call 000 if unable to regain consciousness or losing consciousness repeatedly)
• Impaired thinking

Protocol for a seizure

What you can do

If you are unaware of someone’s action plan, status or cause of seizure, note the time and call emergency services, but for those informed of the action plan — follow as advised. Otherwise, if the person has any food, fluid or vomit in their mouth, do not attempt to remove it and call emergency services. Cushion the person’s head if needed and if absolutely necessary, consider moving the person to a safe place, however do not move and attempt to restrain or stop their movements. For a person in a wheelchair, put the brakes on and leave any harness or restraint on, but do not try to move them.

Talk calmly and continue to monitor the duration of the seizure, along with any signs that their condition may be worsening — pay close attention to whether they are conscious, aware, convulsing or not. Following convulsions, attempt to put them in the recovery position to prevent choking on excess saliva.

If the person has vomited, food or drink in their mouth when they begin to have a seizure, immediately put them in the recovery position to prevent a blocked airway.

When emergency services arrive, relay the time the seizure began, the length, the steps you took and other notable qualities to the seizure which may inform the best course of action for treatment and potentially help discern a cause.

What you should not do

• Do not put your hand in their mouth to retrieve food or stop them from swallowing their tongue (as a person having a seizure will not swallow their tongue)
• Do not restrain the person or panic
• Do not offer them food or fluid until they are back to their regular state
• Do not leave them alone or disregard the time
• Do not try to enact mouth-to-mouth contact or chest compressions, like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Potential causes of a seizure

A seizure can have a variety of different causes such as:

• Epilepsy
• Brain conditions — tumour, infection or injury
• Birth defects
• Narcotics
• Prescription medications (overdose, adverse reaction or allergy)
• A dip or excess in blood sugar levels
• High fever
• Lack of sleep and/or stress
• Excessive alcohol consumption or withdrawal in people with alcohol addiction

There is no universal reason for seizures and there are many different kinds of seizures, but unless you are aware of how to act according to a predetermined plan, the best way to ensure the safety of a person experiencing a seizure is to keep them safe. To ensure safety: monitor them closely, avoid moving them and call for emergency services if concerned.

Have you ever been in this situation and do you have any valuable advice? Let the team at Talking Disability know.

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