An upcoming Epilepsy Ontario-hosted webinar will focus on developing strategies for improving memory function for people who have a seizure disorder.
The webinar, called Epilepsy and Memory: Coping Strategies, will feature guest speaker Dr. Brent Hayman-Abello, a clinical neuropsychologist at London Health Sciences Centre. The May 22 webinar is the third instalment in Epilepsy Ontario’s Knowledge is Power series.
Hayman-Abello says the webinar will be “very beneficial” to people who are affected by epilepsy and other seizure disorders and experiencing memory issues. He’ll largely centre on specific strategies and techniques to help improve everyday memory functioning and ways to work around memory difficulties.
The webinar also welcomes friends and family members of people living with a seizure disorder so they can help people experiencing memory problems work through them, Hayman-Abello adds.
“I think the webinar will help people understand that they don’t have to put up with having memory difficulties and that there might be some pretty simple ways to work around memory difficulties that people are having,” he tells Voices of Epilepsy.
“(The webinar) will be very beneficial to people who are affected by epilepsy; whether they are people that have epilepsy or friends and family members of people who have epilepsy, so that they can understand the issues and maybe help share the information.”
Hayman-Abello will also speak about the definitions and descriptions of memory, as well as factors that can affect memory for people with epilepsy.
Hayman-Abello notes that not everyone with a seizure disorder has memory challenges stemming from their condition. That said, memory difficulty is a common issue for people with epilepsy, he says.
“People might be surprised that there are different kinds of memory problems, that they can come from a lot of different areas, and some are easier to work around than others,” Hayman-Abello says. “If people are having memory problems, sometimes the memory can’t be fixed, but you can work around it.”
The Epilepsy and Memory: Coping Strategies webinar is being held Thursday, May 22 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
To register, e-mail gula(at)epilepsyontario.org. To join the webinar by telephone, call 416-764-8662/1-888-884-4534 and enter participant code 7605062#. To join via Internet, login at http://ontariobraininstitute.adobeconnect.com/epilepsy-memory/ and click on the “Enter a Guest” icon.
Writer: Deron Hamel
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