EU admitted partners within this Learning Partnership

The Caritas Malta Epilepsy Association was set up in 1996 to help persons with epilepsy to enjoy an improved quality of life. It now has over 300 registered members. The objectives of the Association are

to promote public awareness and education about epilepsy and the needs of people who have this condition;
to improve the public image of the person with epilepsy;
to enhance the self-image, self-confidence and self-reliance of people with epilepsy;
to stifle local discrimination of people with epilepsy and minimise the social consequences brought about by epilepsy;
to counsel and educate persons with epilepsy and their families or their legal guardian/s on coming to terms with, and adapting to epilepsy;
to present the interests, rights, needs, grievances and problems of persons with epilepsy to the notice of policy makers; and
to promote the exchange of information with other organisations.

Outpatients Epilepsy Counselling Service has been set up in conjunction with the Neurology Department. It has also co-ordinated an EU Youth project called EyiE Epilepsy Youth in Europe in 2003. In March 2004 it hosted the European Congress on Epilepsy and Society in Malta.

The Budapest Bethel Epilepsy Centre Foundation (BBEC), Hungary was founded in 1997 by three leading epilepsy centres:

Epilepsy Centre - National Institute for Mental Health, Budapest;
Epilepsy Centre - Bethesda Child Hospital, Budapest;
Bethel Epilepsy Centre, Bielefeld.

It is a non-profit organization. Its main aim is to enhance comprehensive care for people living with epilepsy (PWEs), with special emphasis on epilepsy surgery and rehabilitation. Expertise is on all fields of comprehensive care, and in disseminating information and teaching on many levels: medical students, family doctors, neurologists, psychologists, social workers, sociologists, ergotherapists, teachers etc. It has widespread connections in Europe with other epilepsy teaching organizations, and is an active participant in the "Train - the -trainers" courses. BBEC organizes National Epilepsy Days, Patient Conferences and Psychoeducational Courses since its foundation.
BBEC foundation leads EU projects on professional education and placement.

The Epilepsy Centre Bethel, Germany, is the largest centre in Europe for diagnostic, treatment, counselling, rehabilitation, social and vocational training for people with epilepsy. In and outpatient services are provided. Further education for staff members, patients and persons active in the field of epilepsy is a major concern of the centre. Together with other centres in Germany courses for the qualification of PAMs have been developed, and put into practice for about 10 years now. Regular courses are provided.

The centre cooperates with universities e.g. the University of Bielefeld, Department of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Education. Responsibility has been enlarged to co-ordination of education and research activities. The research activities focus on the pharmacology of drugs used in epilepsy and on quality of life aspects concerning the impact of epilepsy on everyday life. Further, the efficacy of educational programmes for adults, children and their families has been investigated in studies. A number of papers have been presented at international conferences.

The Center collaborates with several centres and universities, e.g. in the United States, Denmark, The Netherlands, Hungary, Lithuania. The department of vocational training of the epilepsy centres has participated in an EU Horizon project and in an EU Youth project called EyiE Epilepsy Youth in Europe in 2003.

EUREPA contributes to this project with its expertise in building up networks, in the development of postgraduate curricula and with its experiences in e-learning, methodology and didactics of adult life-long learning. The European Epilepsy Academy (EUREPA) - the educational agency of the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) - is responsible for quality management and the improvement of epileptological knowledge and patient care especially in Europe. EUREPA builds up a network of modular, certified educational activities in all European languages. Until November 2005, 89 epileptologists from 39 European countries have completed EUREPA "Train-the-Trainers' Courses", in which they have been trained in the methodology and didactics of adult life-long learning. These trainers care for epileptological education in their home countries acknowledging the special needs, language and culture of their country. EUREPA initiates and coordinates concerted transnational research and educational activities such as EURAP (the European Registry of Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy) and the patient education programme MOSES. EUREPA first concentrating on education in the European WHO region cooperates with other regional commissions of the International League against Epilepsy to improve epileptological education world-wide.

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