Bill Passed May Improve Children With Epilepsy Education And Stop Seizures

This year, both state and federal legislation passed a law called the Diastat Bill to help improve the lives of people, including children, who suffer from seizures. The bill will enable trained volunteers at schools to assist and give medicine to children who have seizures without a nurse being present, ensuring their seizures stay under control better. As a result, children with epilepsy education may improve and will result in better control over their seizures.

Federal law protects a child's right to have an equal opportunity to succeed in the classroom. The federal ADA Amendments Act of 2008 protects people with epilepsy and other disorders that require medication from being discriminated against.

Brent Lokey, a member of the Epilepsy Foundation of Middle and West Tennessee, says that the organization is happy that senators and representatives passed this bill that will positively impact the lives of 162,000 people in Tennessee.

The Epilepsy Foundation of Middle and West Tennessee is a subset of a larger organization, called the United Way of Bedford County.

United Way is an organization whose purpose is to help people with seizures to live a normal, healthy life where they can be independent and actively involved in the community. The organization that has helped people in 61 counties since 1979.

They help people to control, cure, or stop their seizures by providing education, advocating, and researching the latest treatments. Not only that, but the organization refers people to specialists and service providers, acts as a service coordinator, conducts educational training sessions, helps provide people with information, and offers fun events like summer camps and therapeutic recreation (www.epilepsytn.org).

How Seizures Impact A Person's Life

Epilepsy is a neurological condition where a person has abnormal electrical activity that accurs between brain cells, which can be either mild or severe and result in seizures. Seizures occur more often in people than Parkinson's disease, cebreal palsy, and multiple sclerosis combined. There are various causes of seizures and are not limited to genetics, brain injury, or illness. Seizures can be brief or last several minutes.

Having a seizure is generally not life-threatening unless a person injurs themself during a seizure. The good news is that seizures often can be controlled or stopped because a large percentage of people with seizures can be treated through diet and/or medication.

This bill will help ensure people have better lives as a result of their seizures being better under control.