from EO's Executive Director

Dianna Findlay, Provincial Executive Director, Epilepsy Ontario

Over the past decade, a primary focus of Epilepsy Ontario has shifted from launching new community chapters to strengthening existing ones. This change has fostered the ability of epilepsy community partners to provide improved basic programs and services, raising the quality of life for those affected by epilepsy. These programs help individuals, families, local communities and larger organizations to better understand what living with epilepsy is and is not. These programs help people to understand and overcome barriers between individuals – because of epilepsy and our perceptions and myths about it – and ambitions, goals and aspirations.

2000 will bring all of us new challenges! What will be required of leaders in community epilepsy chapters and contacts, providing programs for people with epilepsy, will also present new challenges. Epilepsy Ontario will continue to provide professional development for staff and volunteers, offering opportunities to learn more and gain new skills and leadership techniques to provide better service to the members and clients in communities throughout Ontario. We hope to answer some of the questions of what will be required of our leaders in the new millennium.

Programs and services for children will remain a priority. Our Spike & Wave Camp offers a wonderful experience to children with seizures in an integrated summer camp for 1- and 2-week periods. We are delighted that we can continue to provide one-on-one staffing and professional medical assistance for 10 of the children who require these accommodations. Children 7-16 years of age enjoy the challenges and pleasures of attending summer camp while parents are assured that their children's epilepsy-related medical requirements are met. This year, Epilepsy Ontario is also sponsoring Winterfest, a weekend of activities for youth and young adults. Again, special accommodations have been made for a few of the participants.

Among other projects currently underway, we are revising and printing several of our publications, including: All about Epilepsy, Safety and Recreation, and Epilepsy and your Child. We have augmented our kit for women, Towards a New Millennium for Women Living with Epilepsy, with new material. We are nearing completion of a new kit for seniors, Towards a New Horizon for Seniors Living with Epilepsy. (Last year, we produced others: Employment, Alternative Treatments and Wellness.) We aim to enhance these publications and offer all our material on our web site for easy, wide and free access. We constantly seek the means to revise and republish earlier useful educational materials. And we're always envisioning new material and novel presentation.

Both communications and the search for more efficient and cost effective methods of providing current information about epilepsy will continue as a priority for us in the coming decade. Our 800 line and Internet address will be in the next issue of every Yellow Pages directory in Ontario. I am extremely pleased with the popularity and professionalism of our web site. More than 1.2 million documents were accessed by 123,000 visitors in 1999! We simply would not otherwise have the financial or human resources to research, prepare, print and mail this information to so many people. The web site is certainly a cost effective and efficient method of providing information about epilepsy and the "epilepsy community" at no charge to the general public, to people living with epilepsy, and to our partners.

A simple definition of epilepsy is "a disorder characterized by recurrent seizures and uncertainty about seizure frequency, severity and prognosis." Epilepsy Ontario and our community of Chapters, Contacts and Partners will continue to provide help and support to people living with epilepsy. We strive to lead in providing effective ways to learn about, understand and accept epilepsy and living with epilepsy, and how to improve the quality of life for all who are affected by this disorder.

We trust that you will continue to help us help! Like other service organizations, we and every Chapter of Epilepsy Ontario will also continue to need volunteers and your financial support. Both are indeed very much appreciated and needed by those we serve.

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Last Modified: 06/22/2006 09:23:27 AM