A New Beginning
A New Beginning
In the heart of midtown Toronto a co-op apartment building houses a unique West Park service: the Gage Transition to Independent Living (GTIL) program.
With 10 wheelchair accessible apartments and a team of Life Skills Educators, 24/7 personal care attendants and a Health Educator, the GTIL helps adults with physical disabilities learn the skills needed to live independently in the community. Clients have either a newly acquired disability, or an existing disability but have only lived in an institution or at home with parents or family. Clients are supported for up to a year to make the transition to independent living.
Catherine Monchesky, one of the Life Skills Educators, says that “the goal is to help clients become comfortable managing day-to-day life care needs on their own. Learning how to manage on your own and knowing who to call if things break down.”
Clients learn key skills such as directing personal care, grocery shopping, bankng, preparing meals, booking medical appointments and using transit.
When extra support is needed, West Park Foundation’s patient assistance grants can help.
Living with a disability is expensive; from the cost of a power wheelchair to the cost of medications and accessible kitchen tools or appliances, the expenditures add up and government funding doesn’t always cover it all.
The Foundation’s grants can help bridge that gap, covering items such as power or manual wheelchairs, ceiling lifts and other assistive devices. The grants have helped patients experience recreational activities, such as a trip to the aquarium, to show how they can enjoy them independently in the future.
One recent recipient of a grant is Pankaj Seth, 62, who came to the GTIL in the summer of 2024 after a below-knee amputation. He’s learning to live with prosthetic and a wheelchair, and with the help of the skilled team at the Gage, he’s now comfortable using WheelTrans and is learning how to use the TTC in his wheelchair. He says, “There’s just so much coming at me that I need some help sometimes.”
One barrier to Pankaj living an independent life became clear in early 2025. A Naturopathic Doctor by trade, Pankaj wants to offer online courses on meditation and breathwork to naturopaths, which would allow him to work virtually.
But his decade-old computer couldn’t access Zoom and other key programs needed to run online courses. Thanks to the generosity of West Park Foundation donors, he was able to buy a new computer. It was a huge boost for him that people are giving him a hand up.
“This is fantastic,” he says. “It’s a mental release because I wasn’t feeling safe about my ability to work after my injury. So I’m getting organized around that now.”
In the coming months, Pankaj will apply for the necessary certifications and secure an apartment, and by July will be living on his own and earning his own income.
He says, “I’m really impressed with this program. I tell them all the time that they’re a really good team.”
