THE EPILEPSY ASSOCIATION
Established in 1962 as The Epilepsy Association of Central Florida with a name change to in 2018 to The Epilepsy Association reflect its’ worldwide reach the Association is a not-for-profit community based organization dedicated to serving the needs of those affected by epilepsy. The Association is a IRS approved direct healthcare service agency. We are governed by a local elected volunteer Board of Directors that represent a cross section of professionals, civic leaders, and consumers that are responsible for directing the activities of our agency.

Our goal is to assist individuals who have epilepsy by informing the general public about the condition, including the correct actions to take in the event of a seizure; demonstrating the historic progress made by people who have epilepsy; and providing support to people who have epilepsy to keep fighting.
Our Core Service Areas Include:
Epilepsy Education
The Epilepsy Association works to educate people about epilepsy and bring attention to it. Our goal is to help everyone know what a seizure looks like and what to do if they see someone having one. The more people talk about epilepsy, the less people with the condition have to worry about being judged, getting the wrong kind of first aid, or hiding their condition.
We want everyone with epilepsy to know more about the several epilepsy awareness facts. Most people with epilepsy can control their seizures with their first seizure medicine, but people who have seizures that are hard to control often don’t know about the newest treatments. People with epilepsy are encouraged by Epilepsy Association to talk to neurologist specialist to make sure they are using the best and most up-to-date treatments to stop having seizures and get rid of side effects.
For these and other reasons, Epilepsy Association wants to help people learn more about epilepsy, Anxiety Disorders and seizures.
Client Services
Several studies show that health care coverage is one of the most important things to many Americans. This is especially true for parents whose kids have seizures. Even if you have insurance, it may not pay for some procedures, visits to Brain Injury specialist’s, or medicines.
Shaken Baby Impact Syndrome
Shaken Baby Syndrome, which is also called Shaken Impact Syndrome, is a severe form of child abuse. It usually happens when a parent or other caregiver shakes a baby out of anger or frustration, often because the baby won’t stop crying.
The muscles in a baby’s neck are very weak and can’t fully support their heads, which are big for their bodies. When the baby is shaken very hard, its head moves quickly back and forth, which can cause serious and sometimes traumatic brain injury. When the baby’s head hits something, the shaking stops and these forces get stronger.
How do you treat shaken baby syndrome?
A child with shaken baby syndrome needs to be in the hospital, and sometimes in an intensive care unit (ICU). The child may be given oxygen therapy to help him or her breathe. The child may be given medicine to help reduce the swelling in the brain. A cooling mattress can sometimes help a child’s body temperature go down and reduce brain swelling.
A neurologist doctor may try seizure medicine, physiotherapy, or other treatments, depending on the symptoms. If a child’s brain is bleeding badly, they may need Seizure First Aid.
How can it be prevented?
Don’t hurt or shake a baby. Even a few seconds of shaking can lead to problems for the rest of your life. Find ways to deal with stress and anger that are good for you. If you think you might hurt your baby, put him or her somewhere safe, like a crib. Then go to another room to calm down or call for the best neurologist.
OUR MISSION
“The Epilepsy Association is dedicated to improving the quality of life of persons affected by epilepsy and seizure disorders and reducing the incidence of onset.”
The following are services available through The Epilepsy Association:
ADVOCACY
When appropriate, assistance is provided to individuals such as persons affected by epilepsy, health professionals, employers and more to insure equal treatment, rights and access.
CASE MANAGEMENT
Case Management is provided to anyone through individualized action plans tailored for the specific needs of our clients and families.
MEDICAL SERVICES
Epilepsy related medical services are provided to those that are uninsured or cannot afford them and may include diagnostics such as: electroencephalograms (EEGs) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs), initial neurological evaluations, follow-up appointments in our epilepsy clinic, laboratory (blood) testing, epilepsy medications and more.
PREVENTION AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Prevention and Education programs, and activities, are provided to individuals, groups, professionals, schools and the community at-large by a full time professional health educator and online at www.EpilesyU.com. We offer programs to public and private schools (faculty, students and staff), legal and medical professionals, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical personnel, health professionals and more. Presentations are also made concerning the myths and facts about epilepsy, the prevention of epilepsy, and many other topics to area civic and professional organizations, employers, the general public as well as any interested individual or group. The Epilepsy Association has become a leader in the education and awareness of Shaken Baby Impact Syndrome (SBIS). For more information on Shaken Baby Impact Syndrome, check our SBIS website at: www.aboutshakenbaby.com
INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERVICES
Information and Referral Services are available to assist anyone when the services and resources of EACF are not enough. Using the vast network of social service agencies and professional services in Central Florida the Association will gladly assist in the referral process. We attempt to provide as much information as we can obtain to assist individuals with their needs.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Through the Central Florida Epilepsy Scholarship Foundation we want to assist those affected by epilepsy living in our community with his or her pursuit of their goals through higher education. The purpose of this program is to provide financial support for the education of persons affected by epilepsy with a personal diagnosis or that of an immediate family member. For more information and to apply visit http://scholarship.epilepsyassociation.com/