Innovative Centre Paves the Way for Healthy Aging

Older Adult Care

Photo caption: The Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health at Sunnybrook, opening October 2025. (Photo: Doug Nicholson/Sunnybrook)

By: Molly Giroux, Communications Specialist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

The new Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health, opened by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, is designed to meet the needs of Canada's rapidly aging population, using an integrated care approach. The 13,000 square foot space features one-stop facilities, research-inspired care, coordinated access to specialized geriatric services and community resources — helping seniors stay healthy, independent, and out of hospital.

Addressing a Growing Need for Seniors Care

Seniors are the fastest-growing cohort within the Canadian population and the largest user group of health care services in Ontario.

Between 16 and 52 per cent of Canadian seniors are living with frailty - when the body can’t get through and recover from illnesses and injuries on its own. Frail older adults have unique health care needs and are at an increased risk of emergency department visits and functional decline.

"Over the next 20 years, Canada's senior population is expected to grow by 50 per cent," says Dr. Barbra Liu, executive director, Regional Geriatric Program Toronto. “This growth among our senior population requires health care systems to adapt and innovate their care delivery models to meet the needs of older adults, especially those living with frailty.”

An Integrated Approach to Seniors Care

The Peter Cipriano Centre is designed both as a physical space that optimizes the experience of older patients, and as the home of Sunnybrook’s specialized geriatric services program, delivering evidence-based interdisciplinary care that is integrated across the hospital.

The space includes a variety of outpatient clinics offering a range of health services in areas that commonly affect seniors, including mental health, dementia, falls and bone health and medication support. The space also includes augmentative services, such as audiology and optometry, enhancing the scope of services patients will receive under one roof. Staff will create a personalized plan to manage the care of each patient, coordinating the roles of geriatricians, hospital experts, primary care providers and community and family supports.

Sunnybrook’s Geriatric Outreach Team, a mobile home-visit service, supports the goals of the Peter Cipriano Centre by assessing seniors living in the community. Once a patient is evaluated, the team offers recommendations to improve a patient’s level of health, functioning and independence, helping prevent unnecessary hospital visits and admissions.

The Peter Cipriano Centre will also reduce pressure on Sunnybrook's emergency department (ED) by working closely with the hospital's ED One Team. Founded in 2019, this multidisciplinary team helps navigate patients in the emergency department over the age of 70 who do not require emergency services, but do need health care attention.

Once open, the ED One Team will direct patients in this category to the Peter Cipriano Centre for a complete geriatric health care assessment. This model of care optimizes hospital resources and addresses issues such as falls and cognitive impairment, while reducing the risks associated with the use of multiple medications.

"By providing appropriate, interprofessional care, we can prevent unnecessary emergency department visits, which has a positive impact across the hospital and offers a better, more personalized care experience for our senior patients," says Dr. Liu.

Incorporating Functional Design

Caring for older patients also means providing a well-designed space that meets their unique medical and functional needs. The new space will allow staff to provide patients with comprehensive assessments and care in a welcoming setting that supports their overall independence.

"We chose the physical layout, furniture pieces, paint colours, and building materials to optimize the sensory experience, cognitive performance and mobility of our patients", says Dr. Liu. "Every inch of the space has been thoughtfully crafted to support seniors and their families.”

The building features a heated entryway with a large wood awning, which provides patients and visitors shelter from wind, rain, and snow in the colder months. The space also includes a flower garden with seating for patients and their families to enjoy the calming effects of nature during their visit.

Inside the centre, there is a barrier-free waiting room, meaning patients can interact with staff face-to-face, rather than from behind a reception desk, making sure patients and their families feel welcome from the moment they walk in.

An exercise gym, an occupational therapy room, and a recreational therapy room are also prominent features of the space. These rooms work to meet each patient's unique rehabilitation needs in a safe, accessible environment, while offering the opportunity to engage in activities of daily living to improve fine motor skills, independence and overall quality of life.​

For decades, Sunnybrook has remained a trailblazer in geriatric care in Ontario. Sunnybrook’s Geriatric Day Hospital and Falls Prevention Program were the first of their kind in the province, with the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health an exciting addition to the scope of services Sunnybrook provides.

Upon opening, the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors’ Health will offer an improved, integrated model of care that support the need of Canada’s aging population for generations to come.

This project has been made possible thanks to generous donor support, including a visionary lead gift from Peter Cipriano, whose commitment to the health and well-being of seniors will have a lasting impact on our community.