February 25, 2005

Image courtesy LARKIN ARCHITECT LIMITED

A south-elevation view of the proposed Dorothy Ley Hospice Palliative Care Centre.

Hospice hopes to start construction this fall

Campaign launched for $4M care centre

Patricia Williams

staff writer

The Dorothy Ley Hospice is launching a $4-million campaign to build a palliative care centre on an acre of land overlooking Etobicoke Creek in Toronto’s west end.

One of only three residential hospices planned for construction in Ontario over the next two years, the Dorothy Ley Hospice Palliative Care Centre will provide 24-hour-care in a tranquil setting to approximately 220 clients per year.

The hospice hopes to start construction this fall.

The project team includes Larkin Architect Ltd. and landscape architects Ian Gray + Associates.

Designed to look like a large home, the centre will have 10 private bedrooms equipped with special comfort beds, ensuite bathrooms and bay windows “designed to bring the outside world of sky and garden into the inside world of each resident.”

Residents will be encouraged to personalize their rooms.

A spacious living room will include several private seating areas arranged around a welcoming fireplace — the symbol of warmth and hospitality.

The dining room will feature an atrium/greenhouse design with wood floors, several seating areas, love seats and easy chairs.

French doors will lead to a tranquil patio and garden that is accessible for beds and wheelchairs.

The large central kitchen will be fully equipped so that staff, volunteers, residents and family members can participate in meal preparation.

The project also includes a meditation and prayer room.

The hospice said the centre will incorporate the latest strategies in energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

For example, the building will be oriented to embrace passive solar energy with deep roof overhangs that allow winter sun to enter and offer shade from the summer sun.

There will also be a living wall of plants with flowing water in the entrance foyer “to symbolize life, purify the air and control humidity.”

The landscaping will act as a screen, hiding the nearby Queensway site of the Trillium Health Centre and hospital parking areas, “ensuring that residents see only enclosed garden and greenbelt areas when they look out their bedroom windows.”

The $4 million is to cover costs of construction, equipment and furnishings.

The Dorothy Ley Hospice is the largest, volunteer-based community hospice in Toronto.

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