Clinically Guided
Memory Care Designed by a Geriatric Psychiatrist

Arbor Place is proud to be a 2026
Best of Bethesda Readers’ Pick Finalist for
Best Senior Living Community!

Founded by a Geriatric Psychiatrist. Built for the Complexities of Dementia Care.

At Arbor Place, “medically focused” means more than oversight. It means noticing subtle changes early and understanding what they may signal. A change in sleep, appetite, balance, mood, or alertness becomes meaningful information that we evaluate and respond to with care.

Our on-site nurses assess changes in real time. Our model is structured to recognize and immediately address more than supervision or assistance with routine daily tasks; it reflects continuous clinical attention designed to help each resident feel calm, comfortable, at home, and well cared for.

We support individuals with neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular conditions, including stroke-related cognitive impairment, through all stages of dementia, including hospice care when appropriate. Residents remain here as needs change, cared for by a consistent team that knows their routines and preferences. Licensed nurses provide on-site, around-the-clock direct care as part of our integrated model.

Care here adjusts as needs evolve, without requiring another move. In our attentive, integrated model, private duty aides are never needed.

A Nurse's Perspective

Michelle Loya, RN
Daughter, Arbor Place Resident

When her own mother needed care, Michelle approached the decision through both lenses: her clinical judgment as a nurse, and her love as a daughter. Click to hear the standards that mattered most to her—and why she chose Arbor Place.

In our intentionally small, highly staffed environment, care decisions are made in real time, reassessed routinely, and adjusted as medical and cognitive needs change. This integrated model allows us to intervene earlier, respond more precisely, and provide stability for both residents and their families.

Dementia care requires more than supervision or help with routine daily tasks and more than a focus on amenities and social engagement. It requires continuous clinical assessment, informed judgment, and proactive medical oversight built into daily life. At Arbor Place, in a purpose-built home for 16 residents, a geriatric psychiatrist’s vision and a full-time RN presence support daily living.

Through ongoing clinical observation and hands-on engagement, subtle changes in condition are identified early, including any suggestion of discomfort, increased confusion, changes in mobility, or shifts in behavior. These changes are evaluated to determine underlying causes and appropriate next steps so we can intervene promptly and support comfort and health.

Dementia care requires continuous attentiveness and experienced clinical judgment. Arbor Place maintains 24/7 on-site licensed nursing, with a team of RNs and LPNs supported by trained caregivers. Care is directed by a full-time Director of Nursing (DON/RN) who provides on-site day-to-day leadership.

Nursing and caregiving staff work as an integrated team to provide personalized oversight, risk prevention, and dementia-specific engagement.

Arbor Place does not use private duty aides. As needs change, our comprehensive care model adapts to fully support our residents.

We partner with families to keep communication clear and current. We reach out proactively when we observe a change, and we stay closely connected.

Families have direct access to nursing leadership. If you call, you reach someone who knows your loved one. We explain what we are observing, what it may mean, and what we are doing next.

We respond to calls, emails, and texts. Whatever communication method works best for you works for us.

Families can expect timely updates and a steady point of contact.

Arbor Place was designed as a single-level home with an open layout because changes in depth perception, visual processing, and spatial memory make stairs, thresholds, and long corridors disorienting and unsafe.

For people living with dementia, the brain’s ability to process space, light, sequence, and sensory input changes. Our home reduces confusion, anxiety, agitation, and fall risk.

As a medically focused dementia home, we prioritized our design and decor with clear sightlines and simple-to-comprehend spaces, which reduce confusion. Natural light and skylights support circadian rhythms, improve alertness, and reduce agitation. Direct, secure access to outdoor space allows time outside to be part of daily life, supporting mobility, mood, and regulation.

Individuals living with dementia may not be able to reliably recognize, express, or communicate their needs or call for help. At Arbor Place, live-stream closed-circuit video, monitored by our staff, adds an extra layer of safety. It helps ensure safe trips to the bathroom, timely reassurance, and immediate support for whatever may be helpful or comforting.

This long-standing part of our model supports prevention and stress reduction.

It allows our team to detect early movement cues or signs of restlessness and respond promptly. This enhances resident safety and comfort around the clock.

Because Arbor Place is intentionally small and highly staffed, we know our residents as individuals—their histories, routines, interests, values, and communication styles. That understanding shapes how we engage, cue, redirect, and create moments that feel familiar and attainable.

Our team has the time, training and continuity for all of our residents. Companionship is a way of life at Arbor Place. We adapt engagement to the moment, to the day, to the special occasion and to family visits. On a daily basis we can individualize one-to-one activities and support or provide small group connections for activities, shared interests, and meals.

Dementia is progressive, which means care cannot remain static. Support needs shift over time, sometimes gradually and sometimes suddenly, and the right response requires both clinical judgment and a stable, familiar environment.

At Arbor Place, care is reassessed routinely through daily observation and nursing oversight.

As needs increase, residents remain at Arbor Place rather than transferring to another unit or moving to a different setting to receive higher-level support.

If hospice becomes appropriate, Arbor Place coordinates with an outside hospice provider, and hospice services can be delivered within Arbor Place so the resident can remain in familiar surroundings with the same care team.

Experienced Team. Trusted Care.

Medical Expertise

Founded by Walter H. Fanburg, MD, Arbor Place was created to deliver a higher standard of memory care — one grounded in medical insight, clinical judgment, and deep respect for each individual.

Highest Staffing Ratios

Our long- tenured team provides continuity of care that supports both safety and quality of life. By truly knowing each resident, our staff can anticipate needs and personalize daily routines.

ALL LEVELS OF CARE

Our care adapts as needs change — without requiring private duty caregivers or disruptive transitions. We manage rehabilitation, complex medical needs, and the comorbidities associated with dementia, all within one consistent, medically informed model.

Family Resources

HEAR FROM OUR CURRENT RESIDENTS AND FAMILIES

When I began my search for a facility, my heart sank when I went into some of them. There was nothing particularly wrong with them, except that they were depressing and dreary, with patients sitting around sleeping in wheelchairs in front of a TV. But when I went to Arbor Place, I felt very happy.

Our mother was wonderfully cared for. You were responsive to her needs—and ours. The three of us visited often, and we hand no complaints—only admiration for the work of your staff and satisfaction at the stimulation that activities provided. I only wish we had decided earlier that Arbor Place was the right place for her.

We ultimately visited 20 facilities: 15 in 4 different states initially, then 5 more . . . In all this, one facility stood out: Arbor Place. As we’ve said many times, there’s no place like Arbor Place. Not only do we think that it is the best place for our father but that it is truly unique in the things that matter most.

My husband settled in and became part of Arbor’s ‘family’ because that’s what you have created there. A family takes care of one another—shares stories—shares laughs—and shares tears. And you—the caring, loving people who work at Arbor, have created a culture that doesn’t feel like a workplace; but like a family.

We have never looked back, not once. Arbor Place was that wonderful. The care, the caring, the love at Arbor Place are indescribable. We never felt that anyone was ‘doing a job.’ Rather, the staff was caring for people they cared about. The facility was warm, cheerful, and clean. It felt like a home—never a ‘facility.’ The staff to resident ratio is second to none; frankly, my Mom was never alone.

Arbor Place has been a godsend for our family. I truly feel that my mom is in the best place she could be. I’m so grateful that she’s there.

Support starts here.

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Clinically Guided
Memory Care Designed by a Geriatric Psychiatrist