Dementia Seizure Evaluation Framework

In dementia, seizures don't look like seizures.

They look like a blank stare. A sudden behavioral episode. A period of confusion that seems to come from nowhere. This framework walks you through the research-supported indicators and returns a plain-language summary of whether and how seizures may be involved. Anonymous. Free. About five minutes. Available in your browser now, and on WhatsApp.

Built on peer-reviewed evidence from my doctoral research: Seizure Risk Assessment in Dementia: A Literature Review of Current Evidence and Recommendations for Future Clinical Research.Russ Barker, MHA, DHSc(c)

Two ways to use it

Same framework. Same questions. Same output.

The evaluation is identical regardless of how you access it — 24 research-supported indicators across the four domains of the Dementia Seizure Spectrum, returning a plain-language evidence summary you can bring to a physician, include in clinical notes, or share with care staff.

Web Available now

DSEF Web Tool

Open in any browser. No account, no install, no cost.

  1. Open the tool Access it directly at dsef-tool.onrender.com — any device, any browser, no account required.
  2. Answer guided questions Work through indicators across the four DSS domains, one at a time. Completely anonymous. About five minutes.
  3. Receive your summary A plain-language evidence report connecting what was flagged to what the published research documents. Ready in about a minute.
Start now
WhatsApp

DSEF on WhatsApp

Works on any phone, in any country, anywhere WhatsApp reaches.

  1. Sign up below Enter your name, email, and role. Takes about thirty seconds.
  2. Receive the contact We'll send you the WhatsApp number and instructions to begin your evaluation.
  3. Start your evaluation The same guided conversation, on the device you already carry. No app to download. About five minutes.
Sign up
What it covers

The four domains of the Dementia Seizure Spectrum.

The evaluation is built on the same clinical taxonomy as the rest of the knowledge base — the presentations standard care most often misses.

How to read it

An educational tool, not a diagnosis.

What it is

Anonymous — the evaluation collects no names, no contact information, and no identifying details of any kind. You are never asked who you are or who the evaluation is about. The only information recorded is the pattern of indicators you flag — no free-text notes, no personal context. That anonymized pattern is used for two purposes: to generate your evidence summary, and to contribute to ongoing research into how seizure presentations in dementia are recognized in real-world settings. Nothing you submit can be traced back to you or to any individual.

What it is not

Not a diagnosis. Not a validated clinical instrument. Not a medical record. Not a substitute for clinical judgment, neurological evaluation, or a conversation with a qualified professional. Use it to recognize and inform — not to conclude.

Research foundation
Seizure Risk Assessment in Dementia: A Literature Review of Current Evidence and Recommendations for Future Clinical Research This framework is the applied expression of doctoral research into the gap between what the published literature documents about seizures in dementia and what clinical care reliably identifies. Every indicator in the evaluation is drawn from or cross-referenced against the peer-reviewed evidence reviewed in that work. The DSEF is the research, made usable.