October 15th marked SUDEP Action Day - one of the most important days in our annual calendar to raise awareness of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy and what can be done to mitigate the risks of SUDEP.
In advance of the day this year, Epilepsy Ireland contacted all members of the Oireachtas sharing information about SUDEP and our campaign calling for a National Strategy to reduce SUDEP and epilepsy-related deaths in Ireland. You can learn more about this - and find out how you can support this campaign - by visiting the 'News' section of our website.
We were pleased to see our calls being raised in both the Seanad and the Dáil respectively, helping draw attention to our campaign - which we hope leads to targeted Government action on this most important issue.
You can see the contribution of Senator Gareth Scahill to the Seanad on the morning of SUDEP Action Day in the video below:
Meanwhile, Deputies John Paul O'Shea and Pádraig Rice raised written Parliamentary Questions about our calls for a national strategy with the Minister for Health. You can see the response given to Deputy O'Shea by visiting the Oireachtas website; while you can also see the response given to Deputy Rice by visiting the Oireachtas website.
Our message of support for SUDEP Action Day was also shared by Deputies and Senators all across the country, helping raise awareness of this devastating aspect of epilepsy in local communities across Ireland. We look forward to continuing our work with all members of the Oireachtas to advance our calls for a national strategy to reduce SUDEP and epilepsy-related deaths in Ireland. We will share further updates on this campaign on both our website and social media channels.
In the meantime, we encourage all people with epilepsy and their families to take the time to learn more about SUDEP - and what can be done to potentially reduce the risks. Visit the 'SUDEP' section of our website to learn more.
If you need any information or support around your or a loved one's epilepsy, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your local Community Resource Officer. You can find their details by visiting the 'Our Local Services' section of our website.