Seizures in the elderly can sometimes be confusing to some people, which comes as no surprise given that the symptoms of a seizure can be easily mistaken for a variety of other conditions such as stroke and dementia. As a result, most people have difficulty in responding to seizures in the elderly when it happens, delaying timely intervention. As such, this amplifies the importance of knowing how to accurately identify the type of seizure happening to the elderly so that the right actions can be made in response.
General Seizures
General seizures are essentially the seizures that you always see portrayed in movies and television shows. When a general seizure occurs, the person’s body will start stiffening and even jerk in an unusual manner. However, it is important to understand that such animated movements do not necessarily always occur when a general seizure happens. In some cases, a person experiencing a general seizure may just react by appearing to suddenly fall unconscious or simply slump over their seat.
Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal) Seizures
Also commonly known as convulsions, tonic-clonic seizures are what come to people’s minds when they think of epilepsy. These seizures start in the tonic phase, where the air is being forced past the vocal cords, causing a person to cry or groan. As such, if a seizure starts with a groan or a cry, there is a good chance that the person is suffering from a tonic-clonic seizure. After which, the person will start to lose consciousness and fall to the floor. As this happens, the person might uncontrollably bite the inside of their cheek or their tongue, leading to saliva appearing bloody.
After the tonic phase, the clonic phase begins. During this phase, the arms and legs of the person may begin to jerk rhythmically and rapidly, at times bending and relaxing at the knees, elbows, and hips. After a few minutes have passed, these movements slow down before eventually coming to a stop. The person’s face may appear blue if the seizure lasted for a long duration, and the person may also lose control of their bowel and bladder as the body relaxes. Over time, the person may start to regain consciousness slowly.
In general, tonic-clonic seizures typically last for about 1-3 minutes. If you notice such a seizure happening to a person for over 5 minutes or a person experiencing three consecutive seizures with no help coming to them, then it is likely that the person is suffering from status epilepticus, where emergency treatment in hospitals is needed.
Partial Seizures
Partial seizures occur when only a small area of the brain is being affected. In partial seizures, the way things smell, look, taste, sound, or feel may be different for the person being affected by the seizure. This may lead to an uncontrollable shaking or emotional changes in behavior. Throughout the experience, the person suffering from the seizure stays fully conscious.
Regardless of the type of seizure occurring, you should quickly seek help if you notice an elderly experiencing one. In this case, home health care would come in handy and allow for timely intervention.
