World Continence Week June 15-23, 2020
To join in the activities for WCW 2020, please go to our Facebook page and watch for daily entries, or go to the home page of World Federation for Incontinence and Pelvic Problems (WFIPP) to use all the interactive links and information.
World Continence Week June 17-23, 2019
World Continence Week (WCW) is an annual initiative devised and managed by WFIP, with the approval of the International Continence Society. It is a global initiative intended to raise awareness of bladder weakness, pelvic pain and other debilitating conditions which impact greatly on the lives of patients and carers.
The objective of WCW is to raise global awareness of such conditions and help remove stigmas and taboos via events, publications, press releases and the like. This with a view to providing a reliable and easily accessible forum for those seeking information. It also promotes a multidisciplinary approach to treatments as well as issues such as access and reimbursement.
Below are country information links and 2019 information.
Australia – 7 days of World Continence Week
Australia – Physios Overlooked in Incontinence Management
Canada – Let’s All Participate
New Zealand – Continence NZ urges Kiwi’s to have a wee chat
U.K. – World Continence Week 2019
U.K. – World Continence Week
History of World Continence Week
The Simon Foundation for Continence has been celebrating World Continence Week since 2009, which was the first occurrence of this global event. The first World Continence Week program in 2009 was a result of the work of the International Continence Society (ICS) and its Continence Promotion Committee (CPC), along with many organizations and individuals who are devoted to improving the lives of those who live with incontinence.
Simon Advisory Board Member, Professor Christine Norton, PhD, RN, along with Cheryl B. Gartley, Founder and President of The Simon Foundation for Continence, founded the CPC of the ICS. The mission of the CPC is to help build awareness worldwide of the progress that is being made for people with incontinence. The primary interest of the International Continence Society is to study storage and voiding function of the lower urinary tract, its diagnosis and the management of lower urinary tract dysfunction, and to encourage research into pathophysiology, diagnostic techniques and treatment.
The Simon Foundation for Continence at the WCW 2009 event in Chicago.
The 2009 WCW-USA event took place at the Thompson Building Center in downtown Chicago during the lunch hour. The Simon Foundation for Continence was there along with many other non-profit organizations and continence device manufacturers on June 24, 2009. Also attending were healthcare professionals from Chicago, including Dr. Terry Mason, a urologist, who is Chicago’s Health Commissioner. Dr. Mason provided introductory comments in the plaza, and encouraged the interested crowd to ask the organizations’ representatives questions and to seek help.
In 2010, a second health awareness expo was held on June 23rd at the James R. Thompson Center plaza area in downtown Chicago. At the Chicago expo the public was able to learn more about incontinence, got questions answered and heard from leaders in the field. The keynote speaker at the event was Diane K. Newman, DNP, ANP-BC, FAAN. Dr. Newman (a member of the Foundation’s Advisory Board) is a certified nurse practitioner, is Co-Director of the Penn Center for Continence and Pelvic Health, Division of Urology, at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, in Philadelphia and is an Instructor in the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an internationally known speaker on the topic of urinary incontinence and the use of devices and products for the management of incontinence. The Foundation again staffed a table and responded to many questions from the public and handed out literature.
Each year, organizations around the world continue to provide seminars, special educational materials, speakers, and local country events to continue to provide education and support to those who have incontinence, and to those who care for those with incontinence.