What is a Caregiver?
As a Caregiver, you'll be the person responsible for providing assistance when EpiMonitor alerts for a potential seizure. We highly encourage you to set up an emergency action plan with the user so you can quickly assist them. If you choose not to accept this responsibility, please reach out to them asking to be removed from the EpiMonitor App.
What are your responsibilities?
If you receive an alert call or SMS, this means that the EmbracePlus wearer could be having a tonic-clonic seizure. As implied by the name, this combines the characteristics of tonic and clonic seizures. Tonic means stiffening, and clonic means rhythmical jerking. These seizures are experienced through the whole body and generally last 1 to 3 minutes. Afterwards, the person may be sleepy, confused, irritable, or depressed*.
If you receive an alert, make sure to reach out to the EmbracePlus wearer promptly to make sure they are safe. If needed, you can provide them with assistance.
*As indicated by the Epilepsy Foundation.
How do alerts work?
When EmbracePlus detects an unusual event associated with a tonic-clonic seizure lasting for more than 20 seconds, this is communicated to the EpiMonitor App that generates an alert (phone call and SMS) to the wearer's activated Caregivers.
It’s possible that you may also receive the GPS location in the SMS depending on the user's subscription plan and technical availability. You can check with them if they have this feature.
We send out Alerts from +1 (415) 498-1544. Some Cellular service carriers have been known to block calls from unknown numbers. To prevent this from happening, we recommend you save the Alert calls and SMS numbers to your contact list.
Texts can come from any of the following numbers. We recommend saving all of them to your phone:
+1 (587) 801-5461
+1 (708) 815-8878
+1 (856) 386-5002
+1 (863) 434-7371
+1 (708) 809-8760
+1 (937) 600-6780
Instructions for receiving Alerts
When you receive the alert call, an automated message will play and ask you to press "1" confirming you heard the message. Make sure that you've established an emergency plan with the wearer ahead of time.
In these articles you can find some tips on how to assist your loved ones during a seizure:
Not receiving Alert calls
If you do not receive Alert calls even if your number has been activated, or if the calls go directly to voicemail, please email us at support@empatica.com so that our Support Team can look into it.
Please note that some mobile carriers provide ad-blocking services that might misidentify the number from which the Alert calls are placed as a possible scam, and the calls might be automatically dropped. Please make sure to disable this service if this is the case.
False Alerts
Some activities such as riding a bike on a bumpy road, chopping vegetables, or brushing teeth, resemble the movement signature of a seizure, and can trigger a false alert. If the user doesn’t cancel false alerts on time, you will receive an automated call and SMS.
The user can also notify you through the EpiMonitor App to let you know it wasn't a seizure. If they do so, you will receive a second SMS, informing you that the user is safe and no help is needed. Here is how the SMS will look like:
FAQs:
What do I do if I have been added as a caregiver by mistake?
If you don't know the user that has added you or feel you've been added by mistake, just email us at support@empatica.com. Please include your phone number in the email.
How can I opt out as a Caregiver?
If you wish to opt-out as a caregiver, please email us at support@empatica.com and include your phone number in the email.