New long-term care home and hospice coming to Mississauga

Those looking for long-term or end-of-life care in the city will soon be able to access a long-awaited long-term care facility and hospice in Mississauga. 

Recently, Trillium Health Partners (THP) and Heart House Hospice (HHH) announced the site of a new health centre that will provide access to long-term and hospice palliative care for the people of Mississauga. 

The future development will feature a 220-bed long-term care home and hospice centre that includes 10 residential beds and expanded space for community-based hospice programs.

Located at 2210 Speakman Drive in the Sheridan Park Corporate Centre, the development will include the first residential hospice in Mississauga. 

The need for such a facility was pronounced. According to THP, the number of seniors in Mississauga is set to triple by 2031. THP also points out that Mississauga has 20 per cent fewer long-term care beds per capita than the provincial average.

There are currently 4,560 people on the waitlist for placement in long-term care home in Mississauga (as of August 2019). The average wait time is 26 per cent longer than the provincial average, and Mississauga is the biggest community in the country without a residential hospice.

“I’d like to congratulate Trillium Health Partners and Heart House Hospice on this tremendous milestone. As Honourary Chair of the Hospice Capital Campaign, this project is near and dear to my heart and has been years in the making,” says Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. 

“This innovative new health centre will not only support our city’s aging population but ensure that those approaching their final days can be cared for in their community in a way that is compassionate, dignified and feels more like home. Together, we will ensure that our growing city remains healthy and vibrant for generations to come.”

THP says the health centre is a multi-year project that will be developed in phases starting with long-term care (LTC) and hospice. The LTC home will feature seniors’-friendly resident design, virtual care and services such as dementia care and short-stay beds that will help transition patients out of hospital to receive care in the most appropriate place. 

The hospice centre will feature 10 residential suites, as well as expanded space for day programs, children’s programs and counselling services. Future phases will be developed to deliver services that people need to stay well in the community, including seniors’ day programs, family and specialist physician offices and independent living supports.

Trillium Health Partners serves more than 1.7 million patients each year – a number that continues to grow. Heart House Hospice supports more than 1200 people living with a life-limiting illness each year.

“Together with our partners at Heart House Hospice, we are excited to build a wider community of care for the people of Mississauga, by extending a network of services out into the community where people can access them conveniently and efficiently,” says Michelle DiEmanuele, president & CEO, Trillium Health Partners

“This partnership will enable seniors, the fastest growing population in Ontario, to age in the most appropriate place, and allow patients and families to stay in their own community to do so.”

Last year, the HUUG (Help Us Understand Grief) program supported 423 children living in a home where someone they love is dying or has died.

“Heart House Hospice has been opening doors in our community for almost 35 years. Whether it’s the front door to our day programs or at the homes where we provide care, every door we open is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life,” says Karen Priest, board chair, Heart House Hospice.

“We are very excited to be partnering with Trillium Health Partners and to share the location of our future hospice centre with the community today.”