Water Safety and Seizures

Summer brings hot weather, beaches, and vacations. All times that may involve visiting or playing around water.  Families living with epilepsy may wonder what precautions they should take. Is swimming okay if a person has seizures?  Can they swim alone or should they have a buddy? What are common safety tips around pools or other bodies of water?

Concerns about water safety can be many – someone could have a seizure while in the water, which can lead to drowning. People can hit their head diving into a pool and sustain a concussion or more serious injury involving the head, neck, or spine.

While no one likes to hear about bad things that can happen, if we don’t know about them, then we can’t try to prevent them. Once armed with information, families need to learn how to use the information responsibly and in relation to your individual situation.

• First talk to your health care team to find out what risks pertain to you and your family. If you’ve been seizure free for a long time, then swimming with safety precautions appropriate for any person may be okay. Yet, if you still have seizures or have had any with loss of consciousness, then swimming alone is not safe.
• Set up a personalized water safety plan that considers the type and frequency of seizures, risks of head or other injury, and level of support or precautions needed. Safety tips to consider…
  • If you have problems with walking, balance, seizures, or other conditions that may affect your safety, don’t walk near open bodies of water alone.
  • Do not dive into water head first (if at all).
  • Wear proper safety flotation devices when near water.
• Make sure you plan ways to have fun and participate! If you need to take precautions, how can you follow or use these as independently as possible? Having a designated water buddy who knows what to do if a seizure or accident occurs may help!

Here are a few resources as you consider water safety and talk to your health care team for your personalized safety plan.

• Water Safety and Seizures
• Pool Safety Toolkit
• Swimming Safety Tips
• Guidance for Safety: The Pool and Spa Safety Act

Check out these resources and keep them handy. I like the Pool Safety Toolkit idea and suggest you add your Seizure Response Plan to it!

Best wishes for a safe week!