June 23, 2009

THIS ISSUE

Congratulations to Scholarship Winners!
Stories of Inspiration

New Publications on Website
Stay Informed about Important Topics

Parent Education Day 2009
Thank You for Your Support

Congratulations to Scholarship Winners!

Stories of Inspiration
The BC Epilepsy Society is proud to announce that we have rewarded eight $1000 scholarships to people with epilepsy. The winners included individuals with volunteer and work experience in sports broadcasting, social work, photography, youth and immigrant services, hockey coaching, dance, criminal justice, fashion design, and various non-profits which support individuals with medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s, brain injury, and epilepsy. The winners ranged in age from 17 to 43, and will be furthering their education in arts, science, business and social work programs.

“To me, epilepsy is not a burden; it is more like a motivator,” wrote a 17 year old scholarship winner. For more information on our scholarship program, click here.

New Publications on Website

Stay Informed about Important Topics

Just in time for summer vacation, the BC Epilepsy Society has produced a new Information Sheet on Travel and Epilepsy. This document provides facts on important topics such as: travelling with medications, travel insurance, medical identification, timezone and travel accommodations.

As well, we’ve recently added new publications on:

Benign Rolandic Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (BREC) – one of the most common epilepsy syndromes in childhood.
Essential Skills in Self-Advocacy – how to navigate through support services to improve quality of life through self knowledge, knowing rights and responsibilities, communication and negotiation skills, and writing action plans.
Epilepsy and Neuropsychology – a specialty area of psychology focused on thinking, learning, and behaviour as related to brain functions and its relationship to epilepsy.
Functional MRI for Children with Epilepsy – an advanced technique which can show in-depth information on the structures of the brain and connections through brain regions.
Issues for Seniors with Epilepsy - detailed findings on diagnosis, treatment, and seizure patterns commonly found in this age group.

We frequently update our website with new and updated resources. If there is information on a particular topic that you are looking for, please contact our office at 604-875-6704 or info@bcepilepsy.com so we can help you find what you need.

Parent Education Day 2009

Thank You for Your Support

A diverse group of attendees, including parents, social service workers, school personnel, early childhood educators, and adults and teens with epilepsy attended the 2009 Parent Education Day about Epilepsy and Seizures.

We received excellent feedback about the event, as well as ideas about new information resources and services. As participants stated, the event was, “extremely helpful,” and that, “every speaker gave us valuable info.”

The presentations on, “Developing Brains: From Learning and Life Choices” and “Epilepsy and Seizures 101,” will be available for viewing on our website and from our resource library. The PowerPoint notes on the, “Genetics and Epilepsy” lecture are also available for distribution.

Thank you to the speakers for sharing their knowledge and experiences. As well, thank you to the Parent Education Day volunteers who organized and facilitated this exceptional event.

For year-round educational sessions on epilepsy related topics, check out the BC Epilepsy Society Lecture Series or watch them on our website at www.bcepilepsy.com