Living with epilepsy: Safety during home, leisure and work activities

Although there is a large literature concerning epilepsy and issues such as quality of life, driving, and knowledge and perceptions about epilepsy, there are very few articles that examine client knowledge and implementation of practical ways to minimize the risk of seizure-related injuries during daily living activities (ADL). Using a health promotion framework, the purpose of this study was to examine clients' understanding of their epilepsy, the kinds of accidents they experienced and their knowledge and practices concerning safety during ADL. A questionnaire was completed by 82 people with epilepsy from across the state of Victoria. It was found that respondents' knowledge of seizure-related injury minimization strategies was quite limited, and many respondents reported accidents during ADL, including driving. The majority of respondents requested more information to improve their safety during ADL if they experienced a seizure. The findings indicate that therapists may need to spend more time with their clients who have epilepsy in exploring strategies that promote health and minimize seizure-related accidents during ADL. Occupational therapists may choose to use the ADL safety brochure developed in response to this research to assist with client education.