November is focused on raising awareness for a variety health issues and aliments. At Champion Home Health Care, we strive to keep you up to date on current issues, healthcare advancements, and homecare information. We not only strive to provide a service designed to give you peace of mind by keeping your senior loved one at home happy and healthy, we also aim to keep you informed on relevant topics. In our previous blog, we looked at Diabetic Eye Disease, and throughout November we will continue to touch upon these topics to help raise awareness. These are the focal subjects of November:

  • National Home Care and Hospice Month
  • Diabetic Eye Disease Month
  • Epilepsy Awareness Month
  • Lung Cancer Awareness Month
  • National Alzheimer’s Disease Month
  • National Long-term Care Awareness Month
  • COPD Month
  • National Diabetes Month
  • National Family Caregivers Month

During the month of November, we will discuss some of these illnesses and focus topics. Knowledge is power and one of the ways we can help is by raising awareness.

What is Epilepsy?

The Oxford Dictionary defines epilepsy as: “A neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbances, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain.”

Summary

  • Chronic neurological disorder of the brain
  • Seizures (short changes in normal brain activity)
  • Seizures can last a few seconds to a couple minutes
  • Seizures can manifest as confusion or staring off, and can cause one to shake violently and fall
  • 65 million people around the world have epilepsy

Commonly Reported Triggers

  • Stress
  • Alcohol
  • Drug use
  • Patterns / bright flashing lights
  • Fever or illness
  • Lack of sleep
  • Hormonal changes / menses

Treatment

  • Surgery
  • Medication
  • Dietary changes
  • Vagus nerve stimulation

Causes

  • Neurological diseases
  • Genetic disorders
  • Loss of oxygen to the brain
  • Traumatic brain or head injury
  • Stoke
  • Brain tumor
  • Brain infection

In a nutshell, epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. Seizures can cause a multitude of symptoms. A person can fall, appear dazed and confused, and have a severe headache. Sometimes seizures can be preceded by a sense of euphoria or intense dread and followed by unusual sleepiness. During a seizure, a person may lose control of their bladder or bowels and muscles can jerk or move uncontrollably. A seizure can interrupt heart rhythms and breathing rhythms. It can also have a dramatic effect on a person’s lifestyle. Most states require a person to be seizure free for a specified amount of time before issuing them a driver’s license. Pregnancy can be feasible for those dealing with epilepsy with preplanning, anti-seizure medication and folic acid supplementation. Depression and anxiety are also common in people suffering from epilepsy.

If you or a loved one can benefit from Champion Home Health Care’s services, be sure to contact us through our website or call us at 321-608-3838.  We are located in Melbourne, FL and have been serving Brevard County for years. All our certified caregivers treat patients with compassion and respect, and we can accommodate needs ranging from companionship to bathing, feeding, administering medication and more. During November, we will continue to raise awareness by providing pertinent information to you and your loved ones.