Wheelchair

If someone starts to have a seizure while confined in a wheelchair, seated on a bus, train or tram or strapped in a pram or stroller:

First Aid Measures

Do

Protect the person by preventing them from falling if there is no seat belt
Make sure the wheelchair or the stroller is secure
Protect the person by supporting their head. Something soft under the head will help if there is no moulded headrest
Check whether you need to move any hard objects that might hurt arms and legs in particular
Consciousness usually returns within a few minutes
Reassure the person and tell them what has happened

NB: When the seizure has finished you need to ensure their airway is clear. This may involve removing food or vomit from their mouth and supporting their head to maintain a clear airway. It may or may not be appropriate to remove the person from the chair a the end of the seizure. This will depend on your assessment of the safety issues involved both for you and for them.

Do not:

Try to stop the seizure
Put anything in the persons mouth
Try to remove them from their position, in most cases the seat provides some support

Call an ambulance – 000 – if:

The seizure activity lasts 5 or more minutes or a second seizure quickly follows
The person remains non-responsive for more than 5 minutes after the seizure stops
The person is having a greater number of seizures than is usual for them
The person is injured, goes blue in the face or has swallowed water
The person is pregnant
You know, or believe it to be, the person’s first seizure
You feel uncomfortable dealing with the seizure at the time

Download your Wheelchair First Aid Poster.

Information from the Epilepsy Australia webpage.