A Message from the Chair

More than 4.4 million Canadians currently live with the effects of disability, injury, illness and age.

That's 750,000 more people living with disabilities than in 2003. According to Statistics Canada, the population of Canadians with disabilities could increase to about 6.1 million by 2026.

The rapidly increasing demand for rehabilitation services and technologies is the direct result of an aging population, medical advances that save and prolong lives and a rise in the prevalence of chronic disease. Toronto Rehab is focused on continuing to innovate in patient care, research and education to meet this demand. 

Toronto Rehab Foundation is proud to support:

• Improved patient care through the best practice-based development of new programs, models, services, technologies and facilities.
• A major capital redevelopment project currently underway to create more appropriate clinical space for Toronto Rehab's specialized patient care services and world-class research facilities that are fully accessible to the community and conducive to meeting the current and future rehabilitation needs of people living with injury, illness or conditions associated with age.
• A growing research enterprise, including building iDAPT, one of the world's most advanced rehabilitation research facilities which will change research for rehabilitation in Canada by creating and sharing new knowledge, treatments and assistive technologies to improve lives.
• Innovative education programs to meet the evolving needs of health care professionals, students, patients and families and the public.

Learn more

We support this work knowing that rehabilitation has proven value in improving health, reducing mortality and in facilitating greater achievement and quality of life for people dealing with the consequences of accidents, illness and aging. 

Let me share some facts: 

• Structured cardiac rehabilitation programs have been shown to reduce mortality rates by at least 20 per cent.
• Geriatric rehab helps seniors live longer and better by enabling them to better cope with disease, medical issues and cognitive impairments and dementias.
• Rehabilitation plays an integral role in helping people regain mobility, balance and independence after hip or knee replacement surgery, traumatic fractures and injuries, or painful and invasive cancer treatments.
• Early rehab programs for stroke patients involving exercise have been shown to improve fitness, heart strength and walking stamina.
• Rehabilitation after a brain injury optimizes recovery of patients' memory, concentration, problem solving, talking, behaviour, emotional stability and independence.
• Rehab helps people living with spinal cord injuries re-learn how to do simple tasks, such as drinking a cup of coffee, and how to regain enough mobility to prevent pressure sores, which make a profound difference in quality of life.

I wish to thank all my fellow volunteers for their ongoing support of Toronto Rehab. 

Thank you for visiting our website and learning more about the Toronto Rehab Foundation and how your support can make a real difference in helping revolutionize rehabilitation – maximize life!

Timothy W. Casgrain, Chair, Toronto Rehab Foundation