What began as the Toronto Jewish Old Folks Home more than a century ago has evolved into a fully integrated continuum — bringing exceptional care, senior living, research, education and partnerships together to support aging and brain health on our campus and beyond.

Baycrest is founded and grounded in Jewish tradition and values that call on us to care for older adults with dignity, compassion and respect. At the heart of this tradition is Tikkun Olam — the responsibility to help repair a broken world — a principle that guides us to act with purpose, generosity and care for others.

Baycrest was created out of need by dedicated community volunteers, led by women from a Jewish mutual benefit society who recognized that older adults were being overlooked and chose to respond. From its earliest days, Baycrest has been shaped by people — those who came seeking care, those who offered it and those who stepped forward to serve their community.

While rooted in Jewish values, Baycrest serves people of all backgrounds and beliefs and is sustained by a diverse workforce and community of volunteers, learners and partners. Together, they support an integrated system of care, research, education and senior living, focused on aging and brain health.

Our history grounds us. Our responsibility to improve the experience of aging — for individuals, families and communities — continues to shape who we are and how we serve.

Our Origins

Baycrest began as a community response to an unmet need.

In the early 20th century, members of Ezras Noshem — a Jewish women’s mutual benefit society — recognized that older adults in their community were not receiving care that respected their culture, language or dignity. At a time when public institutions were unable to meet those needs, they chose to act.

Led by Slova Greenberg, the women of Ezras Noshem organized, fundraised and mobilized their community to create a place where older adults could live with proper care, comfort and respect. Their efforts led to the opening of the Toronto Jewish Old Folks Home in 1918, rooted in volunteerism, shared responsibility and compassion.

From the start, Baycrest reflected the values that continue to guide it today — care shaped around the whole person, strong community involvement and a belief that supporting older adults is both a responsibility and a privilege. As needs evolved, so did the organization, expanding its approach to care, learning and discovery while remaining grounded in its founding purpose.
That same spirit of community-led action continues to inform how Baycrest serves, learns and grows.

As the needs of older adults changed, Baycrest continued to adapt — guided by the same values that shaped its beginnings.

How Baycrest Has Evolved

A community response to need.
Baycrest began as a response to unmet needs — created by community volunteers who believed older adults deserved care rooted in dignity, culture and compassion. That sense of responsibility, shaped by community action and service, continues to guide how Baycrest listens, responds and acts.

Reimagining care for older adults.
As needs changed, Baycrest evolved. Over time, care expanded beyond traditional models to bring together health services, senior living, education and research in one connected approach. This integration allows Baycrest to support aging in more holistic and meaningful ways.

Advancing aging and brain health.
Baycrest has long believed that better care comes from better understanding. By advancing research and learning in aging and brain health, Baycrest contributes knowledge that informs care, practice and policy — improving outcomes for older adults today and into the future.

A community of people.
Today, Baycrest serves older adults and families while also being a place where people learn, work and contribute. Staff, learners, volunteers and partners come together around a shared commitment to improving the experience of aging.

Baycrest Today

Today, Baycrest is a vibrant community dedicated to improving the experience of aging. We serve older adults and families through an integrated approach that brings care, senior living, education and partnerships together — informed by leading research in dementia, aging and brain health.

Research is central to how Baycrest thinks and works. By advancing knowledge in dementia and brain health and translating that learning into practice, Baycrest helps shape better care, better experiences and better outcomes for older adults. This work extends beyond our campus through global partnerships that share expertise, inform systems of care and support aging populations around the world.

Baycrest is also a place where people learn, work and contribute. Staff, clinicians, researchers, learners, volunteers and partners come together around a shared commitment to dignity, compassion and excellence in aging and brain health.

Grounded in our heritage and guided by a responsibility to continue learning and evolving, Baycrest remains focused on what matters most — shaping a better experience of aging today and for generations to come.

The future of aging is here.