Job problem for epileptics

Press, 29 November 1976, Page 24

Job problem for epileptics

Finding suitable employ-1 ment was still one of the major problems facing an ■epileptic person, according to the new national president of the Epilepsy Association in Christchurch. Mr Tom Hodgson look over as president at the beginning of this month and is visiting South Island branches of the association. ; Mr Hodgson said that, ! often employers would take on an epileptic person, but 1 iif the person had a seizure! at work he was told that he would have to go if it hap-' pened again. “This happened to my | own son,” he said. Mr Hodgson said that his son had been told this twice, jonce after having been employed in a job for seven • years. i After he left the .job in ;this way his seizures got very much worse because of ! the resultant emotional i stress, and he had to have 'stabilising treatment in hos--I pit al. ! After treatment his;

employment potential assessed through a persons’ retraining scheme and he now worked as « clerk for a Government Department, •This is one of the suecess stories,” said Mr Hod;gson. “In a way we were fortunate this happened." he said. But it did not need to . happes because generally the epileptic person did not 1 suffer seizures while at ! work. Seizures were much more common when the person was in a relaxed state — ai he would be at homt after a day’s work. ‘The enemy of epilepsy is wort and its friend is idleness” he said. •Many people who have sufiere’d from epilepsy have foind it disappeared upon mrriage.’’ jut in spite of the enployment problem public uirierstanding of epilepsy wgs 80 per cent better now tian 20 years ago when the N»w Zealand Epilepsy Assochtion was first formed, slid Mr Hodgson. One of the associations nain aims was the encoursement of public awareness ®out epilepsy. The association also telped epileptics to under, rtand and accept the disorder. Members were also *ept in touch with new types of medication to conirol it.

! “Once controlled, the sufierer may have only one leizure every seven years or io,” said Mr Hodgson. “We find that many epilieptic persons who join the association leave once their Seizures have been brought tinder control,” he said. ! Seizure control had been jtreatly increased through {he use of modern drugs, f»id Mr Hodgson. “We would have liked to I hink that the association lould have gone out of business; in fact, . there is geater need for it now beduse epilepsy is on the incease.” This was due to the inctased incidence of motor ad industrial accidents, wich could trigger epilepsy, there were now 11 bunches of the association thoughout the country. Mr Hdgson said he would like to ee this number doubled.