In the UK alone, 1 in 5 people has a disability, with 80% of those having an invisible disability.

What is an invisible disability?

A person is considered to have a disability if he or she has difficulty performing certain functions (seeing, hearing, talking, walking, climbing stairs and lifting and carrying), or has difficulty performing activities of daily living, or has difficulty with certain social roles (doing school work for children, working at a job and around the house for adults).

Invisible disabilities, also known as Hidden Disabilities or Non-visible Disabilities, are disabilities that are not immediately apparent. Typically, they are chronic illnesses and conditions that significantly impair normal activities of daily living.

Living with these conditions can make daily life more demanding for many people. They affect each person in different ways and can be painful, exhausting, and isolating. Without visible evidence of the hidden disability, it is frequently difficult for others to acknowledge the challenges faced and as a consequence, sympathy and understanding can often be in short supply.

Examples of Hidden Disabilities
While this list is by no means exhaustive, some examples of hidden disabilities include:

• Autism
• Brain injuries
• Crohn’s Disease
• Chronic pain
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Depression, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and other mental health conditions
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Learning difficulties, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, and language processing disorder
• Lupus
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Visual and auditory disabilities. These could be considered visible if the person with the disability didn’t wear support aids such as glasses or hearing aids

During the COVID-19 pandemic, invisible disabilities have become a talking point, which is why it is important to raise awareness of them.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common condition where sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain cause seizures or fits. There are lots of possible symptoms of epileptic seizures, including uncontrollable shaking or losing awareness of things around you. The main treatment for epilepsy is medicine to help prevent seizures. It’s often not clear what causes epilepsy. Sometimes it runs in families or is caused by damage to the brain from trauma such as a severe head injury.

Useful Resources

Epilepsy bed sensor

Footprint GPS Alarm

Seizures and me: Charlotte’s story

Epilepsy Action – Free online course What to do when someone has a seizure

Epilepsy first aid poster

How we can help

Assistive technology can promote a sense of independence for those living with epilepsy, whilst providing peace of mind and reassurance for loved ones and carers.

Epilepsy sensors are used to monitor people with epilepsy while they are asleep in bed. Patented sensor technology detects a person’s movement in bed and is able to differentiate normal movements from epileptic seizures enabling tonic clonic seizures to be detected the moment they occur. They help carers respond quickly when needed, and avoid disturbing a person’s sleep when they are not. The sensitivity of the sensor can be adjusted to best suit the person’s requirements.

This sensor is suitable for use with children as well as adults.

Outside the home                                   

Our GPS falls detector recognises when a person falls and connects straight through to our alarm response centre – ensuring help is on its way when you need it most. The alarm can be set up to alert an emergency contact or we can request an ambulance right away – the plan can be tailored to your individual needs.

This is a great solution for teenagers or adults with epilepsy. In many cases a parent or carer for someone with epilepsy will undertake regular checks or need to be on hand 24/7. This means constant worry for the care giver and a loss of independence for the individual. Our Footprint device will automatically raise an alert if it detects a fall, (no need to press a button) as well as being able to locate where you are. This enables appropriate care to be provided quickly, without the need for manual checks. 

A Helping Hand

Our products and plans are tailor made to help you or your loved ones stay safe. Explore the range below and see how Progress Lifeline can assist those with Epilepsy.

Epilepsy bed sensor

These are used to detect seizures whilst in bed. They are able to detect movements that are associated with a tonic clonic type seizure.

Footprint GPS Alarm & Falls Detector

The Footprint is a GPS location device, pendant alarm & falls detector all-in-one.

Falls Detector

The Falls Detector can be worn as a pendant or as a watch. When a fall is detected, the device automatically connects the wearer to our alarm response centre – no need to even press the button.

Key Safe

A KeySafe can be installed externally to allow safe and secure emergency access to your home. (A code is used by contacts that you approve to help in an emergency).

Emergency Home Response

Add our Emergency Home Response service to any alarm package for just £11 per month. Our responders provide 24/7 assistance to you at home if your family and named contacts can’t get there.