When Southlake Health first opened over a century ago, the population it served looked very different. It was smaller and younger. Since then, things have changed significantly. Seniors now make up more than half of all patients admitted through Southlake’s Emergency Department — a demographic shift that has forced the hospital to reimagine how it cares for older adults. 

Enter Southlake’s Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) Unit, a new kind of hospital unit created specifically to meet the complex needs of older adults. Since opening in June 2024 during Seniors Month, the ACE Unit has become a cornerstone of specialized senior care in northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. 

Now, just over a year later, more than 750 patients, with an average age of 85 years old, have come through the ACE Unit for leading edge care, close to home. Designed to promote mobility, independence, and recovery, the unit offers early rehabilitation, function-based assessments, and personalized care plans that help improve outcomes and support a safe return home or to the community. The results speak for themselves: 61 per cent of patients have been able to return home with additional supports, reducing the need for long-term care or extended hospital stays.

“The ACE Unit is more than just rooms and beds in a hospital,” says Jennie Popplow, Director of Senior Care at Southlake. “Our team has created a space where seniors feel seen, heard, and supported, and we’re just getting started.”

Traditional hospital units, while well-equipped for acute interventions, aren’t typically tailored to the needs of older adults, who are more vulnerable to complications and functional decline. Southlake has collaborated with leading geriatricians from hospitals across Ontario to implement best practices in senior care in the ACE Unit, including staff training, the creation of a senior-friendly environment, and models of care tailored to the needs of elderly patients. Today, patients on Southlake’s ACE Unit are significantly less likely to experience functional decline or require long-term care when compared to other units. In fact, 95 per cent of patients have maintained or improved their level of function from admission to discharge.

Beyond the walls of the unit itself, the ACE team is scaling its learnings to other parts of the hospital. Starting with the Senior Friendly 7 learning series that focused on topics like delirium, mobility, and continence, the ACE Unit is working with teams across Southlake to enhance care for older adults.

Dr. Youmna Ahmed, a geriatrician at Southlake, believes the team-based model is what sets the ACE Unit apart. “Caring for seniors requires a different approach that considers the whole person, not just their diagnosis,” she said. “We work together as a team to focus on what matters most to our patients: maintaining their independence, preventing decline, and supporting recovery. It’s truly rewarding work.” 

Southlake’s approach focuses deeply on people, and for patients and their families that has made all the difference. One family member whose loved one, Emil, 89, received care on the unit described it this way:

“We’ve been pleased with the quality of care and compassion from the medical team in the ACE Unit. In communicating with the staff, they made it clear they love ACE because it allows them the opportunity to connect with their patients in a meaningful way. It’s not easy to have a loved one in the hospital, but the unit felt peaceful and welcoming.”

That sense of connection and calm is exactly what the team set out to create – a unit that doesn’t just manage symptoms, but also restores autonomy and protects the dignity of seniors. 

“The success of the ACE Unit is a direct result of the incredible passion and dedication of our team,” said Jennie Popplow, Director of Senior Care at Southlake Health. “They’ve created a space where older adults feel respected, safe, and empowered. This is just the beginning of how we’ll continue to transform senior care at Southlake.”

The ACE Unit is part of a broader network of programs at Southlake focused on the needs of older adults, including the Aging Well Clinic and Geriatric Outreach Team. These programs are designed to help older adults “age in place” by promoting independence, mobility, and safe transitions back to the community. Together, they help ensure seniors receive connected, compassionate care both inside Southlake and beyond. 

With Canada’s population aging rapidly, the stakes couldn’t be higher. For hospitals like Southlake, the future is already here, and the first year of the ACE Unit offers a glimpse into what that future can look like: patient-centred, team-based, and grounded in compassion.