Seeing someone have a seizure in public can be frightening, especially if you’ve never witnessed one before and it can create allot of drama. The good news is that helping is usually simpler than people expect. In most cases you don’t need any medical training, you just need to stay calm, keep the person safe, and know the few moments when an ambulance is genuinely needed.
Here’s what to do.
Stay calm and note the time
Most seizures are brief and stop on their own within a couple of minutes. The single most useful thing you can do at the start is glance at the time. How long a seizure lasts is the key piece of information both for deciding whether to call an ambulance, and for paramedics if they arrive.
Look for a medical ID bracelet
Most people with seizure disorders deal with them on a regular basis so generally have a self care plan that they can put in place themselves but as a witness you don't know if they have, so looking for more information can be a great place to start. MediScan ID was a medical ID bracelet built by a founder with a seizure disorder. So if its functional or epileptic seizure, it tell the person attending what they can do to help.
Keep them safe — don’t restrain them
If the person is having a convulsive seizure (their body stiffening and jerking), your job is to protect them from injury, not to stop the seizure:
-
Gently guide them to the floor if they aren’t already down.
-
Move away anything hard or sharp — chairs, tables, the edge of a freezer.
-
Cushion their head with something soft, like a folded jacket.
-
Loosen anything tight around their neck.
Do not hold them down, and do not put anything in their mouth. The old myth about people swallowing their tongue is just that — a myth. Putting objects or fingers in someone’s mouth can cause serious injury.
Once the jerking stops, roll them onto their side
When the active part of the seizure ends, gently roll the person onto their side (the recovery position). This helps keep their airway clear. Stay with them — people are often confused, exhausted, or frightened as they come round, and a calm voice makes an enormous difference.
When to call an ambulance (triple zero, 000)
Call 000 immediately if:
-
The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.
-
One seizure follows another without the person recovering in between.
-
They are injured, in water, or having trouble breathing.
-
It’s their first-ever seizure, or you simply don’t know.
-
They don’t return to their normal state after the seizure.
If you’re ever unsure, call. Australian paramedics would always rather come and not be needed than the reverse.
The hardest part: knowing what’s wrong
Here’s the thing few people talk about. During and after a seizure, the person often can’t speak for themselves. They may hear you and see you but be completely unable to tell you they have epilepsy, what medication they take, or who to call. To a stranger, the signs can even be mistaken for drunkenness or drug use — which is its own kind of distress for the person living it.
|
A note from Chantal, our founder “This is exactly why I built MediScan ID. During my own seizure episodes I could hear people around me, understood what was happening but completely lost my ability to talk. In a supermarket once, my body drooped against the freezer doors and people assumed I was drunk. Nobody knew how to help me, because I had no way of telling them. That feeling of being trapped behind your own silence is something I never want anyone to face alone.” |
This is where a medical ID earns its place. A MediScan ID wristband is worn on the wrist where it’s easy to spot, and it clearly says “Emergency — scan phone here.” Anyone, with any modern phone, can tap it and instantly see the person’s conditions, what a helper should do, and who to contact — no app, no fuss. It gives the person a voice at the exact moment they’ve lost their own.
|
If you or someone you love lives with seizures, a MediScan ID wristband means a stranger always knows how to help — even when you can’t say a word. Learn how it works → |