Epilepsy and Home Safety
Epilepsy home safety is a challenge for the whole family. As part of your care, you should take steps to make sure your home is safe. It's a good idea to walk through your house and take note of any potential danger areas.
Here are several suggestions to help make your house safer for someone who has epilepsy:
What Is Benign Rolandic Epilepsy?
Benign rolandic epilepsy is one form of epilepsy. With this condition, seizures affect the face and sometimes the body. As a result, the disorder causes problems for some children. It almost always disappears, though, by adolescence.
Read the What Is Benign Rolandic Epilepsy? article > >
General steps
- Put down carpet with a heavy pile and under padding throughout the house.
- Place pads on any furniture that has sharp corners. When you buy furniture, choose pieces that have rounded corners.
- Close the fireplace screen when there is a fire burning. Make sure that a person who has uncontrolled seizures is not left alone in a room when there is a fire in the fireplace.
- If you use a space heater, choose one that doesn't tip over.
- Use electric and home appliance devices that have automatic shut-off switches.
- Use chairs that have arms, to keep from falling off.
- Put up safety gates to keep children from falling down stairs, or to keep your child in the house in case you have a seizure.
The bathroom
- Make sure the bathroom doors open outward rather than inward, so that they can still be opened in case you fall.
- Check the bathtub drain to see that it is working properly.
- Keep the water in the tub at low levels.
- Install a shower or tub seat with a safety strap in the tub.
- Keep the water heater temperature low to prevent scalding.
- Keep all electrical appliances away from the sink or bathtub.
The Kitchen
- Use a microwave oven rather than a stove to cook. If you do use the stove, use the back burners only.
- Use plastic utensils and containers.
- Use cups with lids (commuter or sippy cups) to prevent spills.
- Consider using prepared meals and precut meat so that you don't have to use a knife.
- Slide hot food containers along the counter or use a cart to move them from room to room, rather than pick them up.
- Wear rubber gloves when washing the dishes.
WebMD Medical Reference

