International Epilepsy Day 2026

What International Epilepsy Day stands for

Awareness and Education: International Epilepsy Day helps the public learn what epilepsy is, dispel myths, and better understand the challenges faced by people living with the condition. The goal is to build awareness that leads to empathy, inclusion, and action.

Global Participation: Events and activities take place worldwide — from school and community events to seminars, media coverage, and social media campaigns that amplify the voices of those living with epilepsy.

Advocacy for Change: The day also calls for policy progress and equal access to healthcare, education, employment, and social supports. It aligns with the World Health Organisation’s Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders (IGAP), reinforcing the global mandate for meaningful change.

By marking International Epilepsy Day, we're joining a worldwide effort to reduce stigma, increase understanding, and support the rights and wellbeing of people with epilepsy everywhere.

Find out more on the International Epilepsy Day website.

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a condition that affects your brain and causes seizures (sometimes called fits). It cannot currently be cured, but treatment can often help manage it.

Symptoms of epilepsy
Usually the only symptom of epilepsy is having seizures.

Symptoms of seizures can include:

• your body becoming stiff or floppy
• suddenly falling to the floor
• jerking or twitching movements in your body
• peeing unintentionally
• losing awareness of what's around you – you may stare into space and not be able to respond normally
• unusual feelings or sensations, such as strange smells, numbness or tingling, changes in your vision, or suddenly feeling scared
• unusual behaviour, such as fidgeting or walking around and not being aware of what you're doing

A seizure usually lasts a few seconds or minutes, and stops by itself.

You might be aware of having a seizure and remember it afterwards, or you might not.

Symptoms of epilepsy often start in young children and people over 50, but it can happen at any age.

There's lots of great advice and information about epilepsy and what to do if you think somebody is having a seizure on the NHS and Epilepsy Society UK websites.

How Nottingham on Call can support someone living with epilepsy

We have a range of equipment that can support people living with epilepsy.

We can provide an epilepsy detector. This goes under the mattress in your bed and can detect when somebody is having a tonic / clonic (shaking) seizure and raise an alert. The epilepsy detector can be linked to a home care alarm / lifeline unit to raise an alert to our call centre. Or, it can be linked to a pager so someone in your home can be alerted to you needing support.

Our GO mobile care alarm has a built in falls detector that automatically raises an alert when somebody has a hard fall. It also has a GPS location function built into the alarm, which means we can tell a friend or family member or send an ambulance to your location if you're unable to talk to us.

We also have a standalone Falls Detector that you can wear on your wrist when at home that can detect when a person has had a fall and alert our call centre.

And we also offer a Falls Package that includes a lifeline system that connects to our call centre, a pendant alarm that you can press anywhere in your home that links to your lifeline system to contact us and a fall detector. Find out more about this and our other packages on our Support Packages page.