How the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health is revolutionizing care for older adults
On Monday, October 27, 2025, Sunnybrook welcomed its first patients to the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health.
As part of Sunnybrook's vision to invent the future of health care, a new model is being introduced to transform how seniors and their families receive care. The 13,000-square-foot facility is a one-stop shop for seniors' care, bringing together geriatricians, hospital experts, and community partners under one roof. This approach to care is helping seniors remain healthy, independent and out of the hospital.
We sat down with Dr. Barbra Liu, executive director, Regional Geriatric Program Toronto and Sunnybrook geriatrician to learn more about the design and care being provided at the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health. Here's what she had to say:
How is the aging population putting pressure on the health-care system in Ontario?
Over the next 20 years, Canada's senior population is expected to grow by 50 per cent. Meeting the needs of older adults, especially those living with frailty, requires a healthcare system that adapts and innovates in its care delivery model.
Within the senior population, between 16 and 52 per cent are living with frailty – when the body can’t get through and recover from illness and injury on its own. Frail older adults have unique health care needs. They are at increased risk for emergency department visits and hospitalization, and functional decline.
Their healthcare needs are best addressed through specialized geriatric services delivered by an expert interprofessional team integrated with primary care and community providers — a care approach used at the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health.
How will the Peter Cipriano Centre better support seniors' care at Sunnybrook?
The Cipriano centre is designed both as a physical space that optimizes the experience of older visitors and as a home to specialized geriatric services that deliver evidence-based, interdisciplinary care integrated across the hospital.
The Peter Cipriano Centre has an expanded team of interprofessional providers who are experts in care of older adults with frailty. The space will host an array of services and clinical partners, including audiology, optometry, community services and other subspecialties to make sure we can provide our patients the best possible care.
How will the Peter Cipriano Centre take pressure off the emergency department or other areas of the hospital?
At the Peter Cipriano Centre, we offer an integrated pathway for frail older adults seen in the emergency department who do not require hospital admission but would benefit from a comprehensive geriatric 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 assessment and management, in collaboration with community partners, we can prevent ED visits.
How was the space designed to enhance seniors' care?
This new centre provides us with the space needed to assess and manage the needs of older adults in a welcoming setting designed to optimize their functional independence. The physical layout, furniture choices, colours, and materials have been selected to optimize sensory experience, cognitive performance and functional independence.
The entryway is covered by a beautiful, large timber awning and a heated driveway. These design elements allow our patients to arrive at the centre sheltered from the weather and winter cold.
Inside the centre, there is a barrier-free waiting room, allowing patients to interact with staff face-to-face rather than 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 opportunities to engage in activities of daily living to improve fine motor skills, independence, and overall quality of life.
Is there anything that makes the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health unique among other seniors' facilities?
We are proud of Sunnybrook's legacy of pioneering geriatric services in Ontario. The Geriatric Day Hospital and Falls Prevention Program were the first of their kind in Ontario. We have expert health-care providers who are committed to delivering person-centred and holistic care, with the Peter Cipriano Centre for Seniors Health an exciting addition to the scope of services Sunnybrook provides.
This centre was brought to life thanks to a visionary $10 million lead gift from Peter Cipriano, along with the generosity of our donor community, who collectively contributed an additional $13 million.
