Epilepsy Ireland reports record demand for services

Epilepsy Ireland is appealing to the public for support for their National Fundraising Week, Rose Week, which takes place from October 10th to 16th next.

The national patient organisation for people with epilepsy and their families is launching an urgent appeal for support after experiencing a 50% drop in fundraised income during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Epilepsy Ireland Head of Fundraising & Development, Stephen Lowry commented: “We have seen record demand for our support services in 2021, but our fundraised income has suffered a dramatic decrease since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, falling by 50%. We urgently need the public’s support this Rose Week to help us continue to be there for people with epilepsy and their families both now and into the future.”

Epilepsy Ireland provide nationwide community support services to people living with epilepsy and their families and over 22,000 contacts were made with their regional offices across the country in the past year.

2021 also saw record demand for their training services, with over 3,341 professionals trained in Epilepsy Awareness & the Administration of the emergency seizure medication, Buccal Midazolam.

Raising awareness of epilepsy is also a crucial aspect of Epilepsy Ireland’s work, and a recent survey conducted by Amarach Research on the behalf of Epilepsy Ireland brought into focus just how vital it is that this work continues to be supported. Eight in ten members of the Irish public believe epilepsy to be a rare condition when the reality is that there is approximately 45,000+ people living with epilepsy in Ireland.

The organisation also actively invests in Irish epilepsy research, aiming to learn more about the condition and to develop potential treatments. In recent weeks, Epilepsy Ireland have committed to investing just under €340,000 in five new research projects.

Epilepsy Ireland also recently launched their new Strategic Plan which sets out how the organisation aim to work towards its overall vision of a society where no person’s life is limited by epilepsy. The plan includes key aims such as developing strategies to prevent epilepsy-related deaths and increasing investment in Irish epilepsy research.

Mr Lowry highlighted the work of Epilepsy Ireland within local communities, saying: “Epilepsy is much more common than most think – it is the most common neurological condition in Ireland. Within your community, our team may be supporting your family, friends, colleagues and teammates on their respective journeys with the condition so please help us to continue to be there for them during Rose Week. Every donation, no matter the size, can make a huge contribution to our activities.”

To learn more about Epilepsy and Epilepsy Ireland, please visit https://www.epilepsy.ie/ To donate, https://www.epilepsy.ie/donate or please consider buying a Rose Pin from volunteers in your local area.