Epilepsy Awareness

Course description

Raising awareness of epilepsy and what it is, the symptoms, types of seizures and its impact.

This e-learning course is broken down into four easy-to-follow units consisting of an introduction and three study units. The course aims to raise awareness of epilepsy and explores what it is, the symptoms, the different types of seizure and the impact it can have on people’s everyday lives.

By providing learners with a better understanding of the condition, it will enable them to offer more effective support to the people in their care.

Unit 1: An introduction to the course.

Unit 2: Raises awareness of epilepsy – what it means, what brings it about and how it can be diagnosed. Learners look at the different types of seizure and what happens in the brain to cause them. This unit goes on to explore the symptoms that service users might experience during a seizure because knowing what to expect is crucial for providing the support and reassurance they need.

Unit 3: Enables learners to recognise the signs (if there are any) that a person is going to have a seizure, to identify possible triggers and to look at the importance of support plans in providing service users with the care they need. This unit also explains how to offer reassurance, protection and assistance to service users during and after an epileptic seizure and what to do in an emergency. Finally, the unit discusses other related issues such as continuous and recurrent seizures.

Unit 4: Informs learners how to access information easily about the wide range of medication available for people with epilepsy, as well as about the possible side-effects. It will also describe some of the other methods of treatment, such as vagus nerve stimulation. This unit also goes on to look at the implications epilepsy has on people in terms of their everyday and emotional lives, and how/why the condition of epilepsy can cause death. Finally, the unit explains the records that need to be kept for service users and the importance of them being detailed and accurate.

Students must have access to a computer with a broadband internet connection.