Peter Cipriano knows firsthand the challenges of caring for elderly parents.

His mother and father lived into their 90s, and he was impressed by the care they received at Sunnybrook. With demand for seniors care rising, Peter was moved to make a landmark gift of $10 million to reinvent geriatric care through the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health.

The Centre will allow for the collaboration and expansion of the existing geriatric medicine programs in a 13,000-square-foot renovated space designed specifically for the needs of seniors and their families.

The pioneering concept is to "bring care to patients, rather than patients to care." Medical experts from across Sunnybrook will come to the Centre to see patients during a single, convenient session. The team will create personalized plans for each patient, working seamlessly with primary care providers and community supports.

An on-site rapid referral clinic will allow seniors with pressing health issues to be seen and treated within 24 to 48 hours, diverting approximately 2,000 patient visits a year from the Emergency Department.

The Centre will also serve as a research and education hub. Researcher-clinicians will advance models of care for seniors while students train at all levels to look after the unique needs of this growing population. Planning for the Centre is now in the advanced stages.