Around 80,000 people in Switzerland are affected by epilepsy. The Swiss League Against Epilepsy has produced ten short animated videos in ten languages, giving clear and simple information on this common condition.
(November 2021) Everyone should know what to do if they see someone having an epileptic seizure. (Most importantly: prevent injury.) Moreover, those who have family members or friends with epilepsy might want to know a little more about this common disorder: What might a seizure look like, and what can cause epilepsies? How can epilepsies be treated? Can people who have epilepsy have children, and are they allowed to drive a car or drink alcohol? Are they at a higher risk from COVID-19, and is vaccination recommended for them?
«The info videos are a simple and appealing addition to the information we already provide,» says Julia Franke, Director of the Epilepsy League. «We’re hoping they’ll help us reach people who find our other information too complex.» The cartoon-style videos each last about a minute and give viewers the key facts about epilepsy.
You’re more likely to remember a video
What makes these info videos special is that they explain the condition in ten languages. «Switzerland is a country of immigration, and there are lots of people living here who struggle to read or understand the national languages,» says Franke. For this reason, the videos have been recorded not just in German, French, Italian and English, but also in Albanian, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Portuguese, Tamil, Tigrinya and Turkish. There are optional subtitles in all the languages too, for those with hearing difficulties and for transmission in a public space where viewers have no headphones.
The aim of the project is to give people living with epilepsy and those around them more knowledge about the condition, because you’re more likely to remember information explained clearly with visuals in a short film than something you hear or read.