What to Do If Someone in Your Class Has a Seizure
Information and Rules to Follow for Non-medical Personnel
Common General Guidelines from the Epilepsy Foundation.
1. Try to catch the person and gently lay them on their side with their mouth pointing towards the ground so that saliva can drain from the mouth and not clog their airway.
2. Do not perform CPR. This is very tricky for people who have not witnessed a grand mal seizure before because it appears that after the convulsive stage of the seizure that the person stops breathing.
3. Have people or crowds stand back so that when the person regains consciousness they are not overwhelmed by on-lookers.
When providing seizure first aid for grand mal seizures,the following is a more complete list of the key things to remember:
- Keep calm and reassure other people who may be nearby.
- Don't hold the person down or try to stop his/her movements.
- Time the seizure with your watch.
- Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp.
- Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make breathing difficult.
- Put something flat and soft, like a folded jacket, under the head.
- Turn him/her gently onto one side. This will help keep the airway clear.
- Do not try to force the mouth open with any hard implement or with fingers. A person having a seizure CANNOT swallow their tongue. Efforts to hold the tongue down can injure teeth or jaw.
- Don't attempt artificial respiration except in the unlikely event that a person does not start breathing again after the seizure has stopped.
- Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally.
- Be friendly and reassuring as consciousness returns.
- Offer to call a taxi, friend or relative to help the person get home if he seems confused or unable to get home by himself.
You can always call Public Safety at 282-2515 for assistance.