Brenda Bennett’s Commitment to Hospice Care

Brenda Bennett-Learmonth’s roots with Hospice Mississauga run deep — they go back to the mid-1970s when her mother, Laurie Bennett, recognized a glaring gap in the healthcare system. At the time, there were no university training programs in Canada dedicated to death and dying. Determined to close the gap, Laurie completed her master’s degree by correspondence through North Albany University in New York, setting the foundation for what would eventually become Hospice Mississauga.

“My mom was a social worker,” Brenda explains. “She was right there with families, helping them prepare for dying with dignity, ensuring that no one faced the end of life alone and supporting them after loss.”

In the early 1980s, when the government support for home-based palliative care was being cut, Laurie saw the urgent need for a dedicated hospice service in the region. She left her position at Mississauga Hospital and started Hospice of Peel, working with a small group of patients and volunteers. “She couldn’t just leave them stranded without the supports that had been suspended by the government.” Brenda says. “She offered to continue to support her patients, through Hospice of Peel, and her patients followed her.”

Brenda grew up watching her mother build the hospice movement from the ground up. “It started with 18 patients, nine board members, and a handful of volunteers,” she recalls. “The biggest challenge was educating people — nobody thinks about death until they have to. People think hospice is just a place where you go to die, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about making the time you have as meaningful and comfortable as possible, for both patients and their families.”

Over the decades, Hospice of Peel evolved into Heart House Hospice, and now, Hospice Mississauga. Its core mission has remained the same: to provide compassionate, dignified care for everyone, regardless of background, age, or illness. “My mom was adamant that this should not be a service just for cancer patients, or just for seniors,” Brenda says. “She wanted it to be for everyone, and that is still a philosophy of Hospice Mississauga today.”

Now retired, Brenda is celebrating how far the organization has come and she is reflecting on how to honour her mother’s vision. “Mom always dreamed of a residential hospice. She fought for funding, for space. And now, it’s happening. This is a dream realized.”

Brenda is also passionate about ensuring that people understand what hospice offers — and that it’s available to everyone, free of charge. “A lot of people assume there’s a cost,” she says. “But all it takes is a phone call. Hospice Mississauga is there to provide comfort, guidance, and care at the most difficult time in a patient’s life and a family’s life.”

Reflecting on the journey, Brenda is hopeful for the future. “The new residential hospice is just the beginning,” she says. “This work isn’t done. The need is there, and it’s growing. I’d love to promote hospice services as they continue to support the diverse needs of the increasing and changing community in Mississauga. There are so many ways we can expand our reach.”

Inspired by this story? Join us at our 40th anniversary gala on November 6th, where we will honour our past, celebrate the present and inspire the future of hospice care.

Brenda Bennett’s Commitment to Hospice Care