About Us

Durham Region Map

We are Epilepsy

Durham Region

Epilepsy Durham Region (EDR) is an innovative, progressive non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a safe and healthy community by enhancing and supporting the well-being of adults, children, youth, and families affected by epilepsy.

Epilepsy Durham Region strives to provide a caring and safe environment where those living with this neurological disease can receive resources to manage epilepsy and/or a seizure disorder diagnosis. Epilepsy Durham Region provides extensive support to strengthen clients’ and families’ ability to manage the physical, psychological, and social effects of epilepsy, with extensive expertise in issues pertaining to system navigation, advocacy, and mental health concerns.

Our team is passionate about making a difference in the lives of people who need our help. Providing services to all eight municipalities within Durham Region, our long term-term goals are to create a world where not another moment is lost to a seizure and advocate for increased accessibility throughout the Durham Region.

 

Our Mission

 

Epilepsy Durham Region is dedicated to promoting independence and optimal quality of life for children and adults living with Epilepsy and/or other seizure disorders and their families, through awareness, support, advocacy, and public education. We demonstrate this through facilitating programming such as the peer-to-peer support groups, in-school and workplace presentations, among other programs. As well as organizing various events to fundraise, educate and advocate throughout the year.

Values and Objectives

  • Accountability to the public
  • Efficient and cost-effective management
  • Treating all persons with integrity and honesty
  • Respect and diversity
  • Co-ordinate community health education programs as required
  • Heighten Awareness of programs and services available throughout the Region
  • Ensure funding is available to support programming initiatives

Our Story

Epilepsy Durham Region is a registered, non-for-profit, non-governmental agency incorporated in 1987 which receives no government or United Way funding; as such, we aim to engage with the community to develop and foster partnerships to ensure that our programs, services and resources are available to those most in need. The agency is governed by a Board of Directors composed of business leaders, professionals, and client representatives, who are elected by the membership at large at its annual general meeting.

Epilepsy Durham Region has extensive expertise in issues pertaining to system navigation within both healthcare and government support services, advocacy, and mental health issues. Utilizing a network of programs and services, our team provides support to individuals and their family to assist with the self-management of epilepsy, allowing them to become partners in their healthcare and manage their condition.

Our programming consists of one-to-one counselling, outreach education and awareness, employment support and peer to peer engagement. We also host various events including a lecture series and conference, golf tournament fundraiser, gala, walk for Epilepsy, and many more.

Epilepsy Durham Region strives to make a difference in the Durham Region community and facilitate education, advocacy, events and programming related to improving the overall wellbeing of individuals diagnosed with Epilepsy and other seizure disorders, and provide support to them and their families. We hope that through our efforts, we can contribute to increased accessibility and social change at a local, provincial, and national level.

Our Vision

 

At Epilepsy Durham Region, we engage regularly with people who want to understand what epilepsy means and how it will affect them and their loved ones. As with all grassroots not-for-profit agencies, Epilepsy Durham Region’s (EDR) number one priority is to ensure that our clients’ needs are met. For us, this means helping individuals and their families to achieve and maintain optimal quality of life.

Our team of volunteers and staff are driven to provide a caring and safe environment and individualized help – strengthening our clients and their loved ones/caretaker’s ability to manage the physical, psychological and social effects of epilepsy. We are able to accomplish this through one-on-one counselling services, supplementation of the extraordinary cost of medication, referral to specialists that are currently not within Durham Region, aid in transportation costs associated with visiting specialists, programming and events, and public awareness and education. Raising awareness to eliminate myths and erase stigma is a key priority.

In addition, Epilepsy Durham Region plays a key role in advocacy and policy change at a provincial and national level. We strive to educate the community through presentations and various online resources, a lecture series and conference with specialized focuses and topics, among other programs and events. Our aspiration is to create social change and contribute to improvements in accessibility within the Durham Region community, as well as on a provincial and national level.