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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 pinpoint the most appropriate safety measures for you.
More information about different types of seizure

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, non-slip rugs, 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.

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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 result in a fire. Having smoke alarms on each floor of your home, and checking the batteries regularly, is important and recommended by the UK Fire Service.

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 and it can greatly 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. 4

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 help lower the risk of injury if you have a seizure.

• Radiator guards can stop you gripping or falling onto a hot radiator.
• Covering hot pipes with lagging may prevent injury if you grip or fall against them.
• Using a fireguard that can be secured to the floor in front of an open fire can stop you falling into the fireplace.
• Using heaters that are secured to the wall or floor means you can’t knock them over.

Storing medication

To make sure that 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 can make it easier to see which drugs you have taken and which you need to take. It may also help you notice any errors, for example, if medication has been taken on the wrong day or by someone else.

Drug wallets are available from pharmacies and from the NSE online shop.

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At home

In the kitchen

In the bathroom

In the bedroom

Home improvements

Alarms

Seizure alert dogs

Out and about

In the kitchen

The following ideas might help make your kitchen safer.

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. This may reduce the risk of injuring your face if you have a seizure while using it.
• 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 avoids the need to lift heavy pans of boiling water. There are also pan-locks available that secure the pan to the hob, if useful.
• If you have a heat-resistant work surface, you can slide heavy pans across that rather than lifting them.

The following can also help to reduce the risk of scalds and burns.

• 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 it can be tipped gently so boiling water can be poured without needing to lift the kettle.
• 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 has information on suppliers of cooker guards, cooking baskets, pan-locks and kettle tippers.
Disabled Living Foundation (opens new window).

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 while having a seizure. It also automatically switches off when the cooking time ends. This means that if the microwave is left unattended there is less chance of food burning or a fire starting.

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, but stir before drinking to disperse any uneven ‘hot spots’ which could burn your mouth.

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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

If you are choosing a new shower, or you can change your existing one, the following tips may be useful.

• It is best to 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 mats can also help reduce injuries if you fall.

Baths

If you have seizures, having a shower is generally safer than having 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 9 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 idea is a sliding 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.
• When choosing bathroom flooring, tiles made of rubber or other soft material - and 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.

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In the bedroom

If there is a risk of 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 injuries. If possible, sleeping in the middle of a large bed can reduce the risk of falling out of bed if you have seizures in your sleep.

Padded bed sides are available to help prevent injuries during a seizure or 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 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

It is important for everyone to take proper safety measures before doing any DIY jobs. If you have seizures there may be other safety issues to consider. If you need to do any 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 it.

Power tools that have a safety cut-out feature are generally a good idea for everyone. For power tools that use mains power, circuit breakers on the wall socket will help protect against the risk of electrocution.

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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. A lawn or bark chippings rather than concrete or gravel may reduce the chance of a severe injury if you fall. The same applies to wooden decking rather than a stone patio.
• Use a petrol lawn mower instead of an electric mower. Electric mowers may carry a risk of you cutting through the cable during a seizure. If you do use an electric lawn mower, use a circuit breaker at the plug to help protect against the risk of electrocution. If possible use a lawn mower that stops automatically when the handle is released.
  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.
• Grow big plants 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. See page 18 for pond grid suppliers.

Pond grids are available from Safapond (opens new window)

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Alarms

People who have seizures when they are asleep (nocturnal seizures) and those who live alone may like to think about having 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 when the person has convulsions or if they fall down.
Information on personal safety equipment and alarms

Seizure alert dogs

Some people with epilepsy who have seizures may benefit from having a seizure alert dog. These dogs are trained to give their owners a warning 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.
Support Dogs website (opens new window)

Further help

Your local council’s social services may be able to help by assessing your needs and your living arrangements. To do this they may arrange to visit you at home. Guidance or safety equipment may be given based on this assessment.

See the phone book for the number of your local social services department.

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Out and about

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 what type of seizures you have, what medication you are taking, and how you would like to be helped if you are having a seizure.

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.

Order a free ID card in our online shop
More information on ID cards and medical jewellery
Information on safety and leisure activities outside the home.

UK Epilepsy Helpline: 01494 601400
Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm

© The National Society for Epilepsy
July 2007