Author Archives: Trevor Gordon

Hamilton Man tasered by Police during Epileptic Seizure on October 2nd 2022

October 12, 2022

The Canadian Epilepsy Alliance (CEA) does not condone any type of physical restraint when dealing with a seizure.

Police Training for seizure management is available on their own Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) currently as an Elective Training Tool.

The CEA is asking for support and partners to make this training MANDATORY for all police in Canada. This 40-minute training session with videos will result in more education, and awareness and ultimately allow police to have the confidence to handle any seizure calmly and safely.

The CEA is a Canada-wide network of community organizations dedicated to the promotion of independence and quality of life for people with epilepsy and their families, through support services, information, advocacy, and public awareness initiatives representing those living with epilepsy in Canada.

Mr. Charles is being offered support by the community epilepsy agency responsible for Hamilton.

To view the Police Training Outline: www.canadianepilepsyalliance.org

PLEASE SIGN The Marcus Charles Petition to make Police Epilepsy Training MANDATORY:

www.change.org/p/make-epilepsy-training-for-police-mandatory

NOTE: The Training is in English only. To help us translate this training to French, Please donate here

WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF A “CEA APP”

July 29, 2022

We invite you to share your expectations and opinions regarding the potential development of a Canadian Epilepsy Alliance mobile app.
We are asking the epilepsy community (epilepsy agencies, epilepsy partners, people living with epilepsy, and families of people with epilepsy) to have a say in developing a potential CEA app.

We are hoping to develop an app that will be relevant to someone living with epilepsy or someone part of the epilepsy community. The survey will help us an gain understanding of how you/they might use an app to help increase the quality of life, manage epilepsy, and stay up to date on the latest news and resources.

Responses to this survey will be collected and shared with our cea app committee in order to center future developments in this field around the needs and preferences of people living with epilepsy and the community at large

Doing this survey will give you the opportunity to be part of the growth of support services in Canada and help support your epilepsy community.

PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SHORT QUESTIONNAIRE HERE

(If you click on the language on the top right hand corner, it will change it to french)

This survey is open from July 28, 2022 to August 31, 2022 – share your feedback today!

Drug Shortage Update: SABRIL (vigabatrin) powder for oral solution 500 mg

July 27, 2022

We have learned of an anticipated drug shortage that may affect some epilepsy patients in Canada.

The product shortage affects SABRIL (vigabatrin), in the 500 mg powder for oral solution only. Stock of 500 mg SABRIL tablets remains available.

The shortage is expected to begin in early August, and at this time it is unknown when the powder for oral formulation of SABRIL will be back in stock.

Click here to read the communication from the drug company.  A French version is available here.

Patients affected by this shortage are encouraged to reach out and consult with their healthcare professional, who can make a decision about their treatment plan.

Additional questions and medical information inquiries can also be directed to Lundbeck Canada Medical Information at 1-866-880-4636 or [email protected].

Are you an adult individual with drug-resistant epilepsy?

June 1, 2022

Are you an adult individual with drug-resistant epilepsy?

Are you interested in contributing to a clinical research study about the potential benefits of music therapy in reducing seizure frequency?

If so, you may be eligible to participate in our clinical research study – Music in Epilepsy Treatment: Does Unpredictability of Rhythmic Structure in Music Reduce Seizure Frequency? – at the Toronto Western Hospital, sponsored by Epilepsy Ontario and in partnership with the Krembil Brain Institute.

You may qualify if you have tried a number of anti-seizure medications without complete seizure control, and you cannot benefit from other common treatment options, including surgery, ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS).

For more information on the study and the eligibility criteria please visit http://www.neurontobrainlaboratory.ca/music-therapy-in-epilepsy .