It's a well-known fact that most accidents happen in the
home, and everyone - whether you have epilepsy or not - needs to take a little
extra care to avoid unnecessary injury. The following tips expand on basic
domestic safety measures to help make your environment as safe as possible
should you have a seizure.
In the kitchen and diningroom
In the bathroom
In general
- Don't keep internal house doors locked.
- Fit room doors so that they open outwards. If you have a seizure inside the room and fall against the door, it can be easily opened from outside.
- Put down thick carpeting (including on the bathroom floor) to cushion against falls.
- Choose padded furniture with rounded corners.
- Don't smoke or light fires or candles when you're alone. Use fireplace screens while a fire is burning.
- Avoid heaters that can tip over or that have an exposed heating element.
- Use an iron with an automatic shut-off switch.
- Choose low chairs, or with arms to prevent falls; and a low, wide bed.
- Have emergency numbers written up next to the phone.
- Install safety glass in windows and doors.
In the kitchen and diningroom
- Consider using a microwave oven. It's safer than a conventional stove that uses electrical elements or gas.
- If you use a conventional stove, use the back plates or burners, and turn saucepan handles back and inwards.
- Avoid carrying hot food containers. Try to arrange it so that your
cooking and dining areas are near each other. Use a tea trolley instead of
carrying hot food or drinks from one room to another.
· Use plastic rather than glass and ceramic food containers to prevent cuts, and cups with lids to prevent burns. - Wear long oven gloves when removing items from a hot oven.
- Wear rubber gloves when handling knives or washing breakable dishes and glassware.
In the bathroom
- Have your daily bath or shower at and for a set time, to coincide with times other household members are at home. Tell someone you are about to bath or shower.
- Showers are generally safer than baths.
- Don't use a shower with a door that seals: rather use a shower curtain or a door that has a gap at its base.
- Don't run the taps while you're in the bath, and keep the water level low.
- Check that the outflow pipes from the bath and shower drain properly.
- Consider using a shower or bath seat.
- Avoid using electrical appliances near water.
In the garden and doing
DIY
- Choose grass surfaces over paved.
- Use power tools and motor-driven equipment that have a "dead man's" handle - the power is cut off if your hand releases its grip.
- Avoid climbing, and then only as high as you can safely fall. If you must climb, use a safety harness and wear protective head-gear.
- Keep a cover on the swimming pool when this is not in use; clean the pool when someone else is present.