The 1st World Congress on Falls and Postural Stability (WCFPS) 2019 will be held in Malaysia from 4 – 7 December 2019 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Increasing life expectancy has resulted in growing issues in the care for the elderly, particularly in relation to frailty and falls. With Asia having a fast growing aging demographic, the event will be a great example of how meeting venues can have a real impact on people’s lives.
Jointly organised by the Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine (MSGM) and the British Geriatrics Society (BGS), the four-day Congress will bring together not just healthcare professionals and research scientists, but also individuals in business, policy-making, engineering, architecture, quantity surveyors, town-planning, computer science and many more from all over the world, to discuss fall prevention, postural stability and other issues associated with population ageing.
Local Organising Chairperson of the WCFPS 2019, Professor Tan Maw Pin, shared, “One in four Malaysians aged over 65 years fall at least once a year, and falls lead to fractures, head injury, fear of falling and increased dependency. While falls affect older persons globally, there has not previously been a world meeting for falls prevention. The opportunity to host the first-ever WCFPS emerged when a representative from MSGM attended the committee meeting for the Falls and Bone Health section of the BGS during the 18th International Conference on Falls and Postural Stability held in the United Kingdom in 2017.”
“Two years later, WCFPS 2019 is a reality, and we are extremely grateful to falls experts from various disciplines worldwide for their wholehearted, enthusiastic support for this event. We can truly boast of a programme one could only have dreamt of two years ago, with scientific paper submissions exceeding our expectations by over 30%. It has also only been possible with the support and assistance offered by various local organisations like Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB0 and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), in particular,” she concluded.
The Centre’s General Manager, Alan Pryor, said that, “Issues related to ageing populations are growing in prominence worldwide, so we are delighted to welcome the inaugural WCFPS 2019, which is sure to be a milestone event moving forward. Just as the elderly require support and assistance to minimise risk to their health, we view ourselves playing a similar role for our clients in providing a safe pair of hands for their events thanks to our partnership approach and many years of experience.”
He continued, “Our business is all about knowledge sharing and transfer. This event is a great example of how meeting venues can have a real impact on people’s lives. There is no doubt that WCFPS 2019 will result in progress in this critical field which will benefit both elderly Malaysians and people around the world.”
“The support we are getting from the medical sector to date has been fantastic. WCFPS 2019 is the 11th medical event we are hosting this year, which showcases it is a strong and thriving profession in Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur is recognised as a premium destination to host global events in the field,” concluded Pryor.
WCFPS 2019 is an excellent opportunity to hear, meet and collaborate with researchers, clinicians, healthcare professionals and service providers in the disciplines of falls, balance, exercise and fractures. Topics to be discussed will focus around frailty, sarcopenia and nutrition, and the event will enable cross-fertilisation of ideas, with the ultimate aim of developing better management strategies for patients. For more information or anyone interested in attending can register at http://www.wcfps2019.org/.
