Arbor Place – Dementia Care

September 2022

Google

Sandra McLeskey

As a nurse, I am familiar with people with dementia. I understand how they behave and how to cope with their behavior. So when my husband was diagnosed with dementia, I thought I could keep him at home. I hired wonderful people to be with him when I worked. When we were at home together, I took him to parks to walk off his energy and keep him interested in nature. But it wasn't enough. He was increasingly restless and agitated. He exhausted me and my work began to suffer. Reluctantly, I made the decision to place him in a facility for people with dementia. As I investigated possible placements, I found most of them quite depressing. People were sitting around in wheelchairs with blank looks on their faces. At the time, my husband was very ambulatory and aware of his surroundings. I had a hard time imagining him in these places. Then, my daughter told me about a facility she had heard about called Arbor Place, which was run by a geriatric psychiatrist. I contacted Dr Fanburg and arranged for a visit with my husband. When we arrived, the residents were sitting together in the living area. A young woman was leading them in a musical activity. A few of the residents were in wheelchairs and had blank looks but many others were participating in the activity or at least enjoying it. After talking briefly with my husband, Dr. Fanburg invited him to participate in the activity. He was able to interact with the leader and seemed to enjoy it. When I got home, I told my daughter that I had found a facility that I loved. She said, "How could anyone love a facility for Alzheimer's patients?" But afterwards, she found out that it was a place you could love. Of course, everything did not go as well as we wanted. My husband continued to have problems with restlessness and agitation. However, with the assistance of a geriatric psychiatrist who prescribed medication and great strategies by the staff of Arbor Place, he settled in and seemed very happy. He remained there for over five years, becoming the resident who had been there the longest. One of the best things was that some members of the staff had been there as long as he had. He knew them and trusted them. As he lost functionality, they cared for him compassionately and effectively. When he was dying, they called me and I was able to be with him as he passed. Since then, I have recommended Arbor Place to several of my friends. One friend's relative was in multiple facilities where the staff could not get him to leave his bed. I told her that at Arbor Place, he would get out of bed. After he went there, she showed me a picture of him dancing with a staff member in the living area. As the years have passed, Dr. Fanburg is enjoying some respite from the day-to-day management of Arbor Place. His daughter Debbie has stepped into his shoes and continues to provide amazing leadership and compassionate care, especially in the horrible times of the coronavirus pandemic. It has been difficult for her but she has been equal to the task. I enjoy a continuing relationship with her and Arbor Place and will be eternally grateful for the outstanding care that they provided for my husband. Sandra McLeskey, RN, PhD

May 2022

Google

Glenn Sabin

This is a special place, run by a wonderful family. My father was here during the last couple months of his life. We considered several local dementia care facilities. But from the second we entered the doors I knew Arbor Place was a good fit. The warmth, light, resident-engagement, cleanliness, courtyard area, staff/resident ratio, the dignity and respect ALL gave to my dad ... Google does not allow for 6 stars, so I'll leave it at 5.

March 2022

Google

Joyce Feinstein

I heard how wonderful Arbor Place was before my husband was admitted. Whatever I heard was absolutely true. The nurses and caregiving staff are the best. They treat my husband like family.

March 2022

Google

Joan Hurley

I am so happy to write a review for Arbor Place. My dear friend, Pat Thompson lived at this wonderful facility for a couple of years. She came from another facility and I was so relieved that Pat was at Arbor Place. I visited her often and when I would see her she was doing so much better than at the other facility. I didn’t have to worry about her once she was there. Often I would come to visit her and the other people who lived there would be singing along with some of the staff. That would never happen at the prior place where she lived. I could tell that the staff all liked their jobs and enjoyed working with the residents. Pat’s daughter was having Pat’s first granddaughter and the recreation director and the facility director had a baby shower for her. I went to it and it was so much fun! They bought violets for Pam because she was planning to name her child, “Violet.” I felt like Pat was living with family and friends. I couldn’t recommend Arbor Place more. I felt so happy that I didn’t need to worry about my dear friend anymore. We are so grateful for the excellent care she received at Arbor Place. Actually I would go there if I needed this type of care. They are the best! Thanks for the loving care!

February 2022

Google

Joe Kruger

My family member has been at Arbor Place for about 6 months and I am very happy with the quality of care provided by the excellent staff. The ratio of caregivers to residents is unsurpassed and there is a genuine effort to provide individualized care to each resident. The staff communicates well with families and provides updates and occasional photos in between visits. I was anxious about placing my family member in a memory care facility, but I can honestly say that I sleep well at night knowing she is in a caring and highly professional place.

January 2022

Google

Colleen Fitzpatrick

Our family believes that Arbor Place is a gem and that one cannot elsewhere receive the services that Arbor Place provides—not in the way that Arbor Place provides them. One of the things we deeply appreciate about Arbor Place is that Arbor Place has a loving, caring, and responsive staff who are attentive to their residents’ myriad needs. There are delicious meals and thoughtful meal preparation. The secluded patio and garden path area allow both residents who are ambulatory and who have limits to their movement to enjoy the outdoors. The activities manager is brilliantly creative and enthusiastically engages residents in art, music, cooking and outdoor activities. The medical staff is experienced, responsive, and personalizes each resident’s care. The outstanding caregiver-to-resident ratio is a feature that we discovered is not necessarily found at other dementia care facilities we visited. Families can have the confidence that their loved one is always seen, heard, and appreciated at Arbor Place. Caregivers go out of their way to connect with family and friends who come to visit a resident. They know family names and come and check in with visitors during visits. The caregivers’ connection to the residents also extends to that individual’s family and friends. With the welcoming atmosphere at Arbor Place, new residents quickly come to regard Arbor Place as their home. Our family feels that Arbor Place is a far greater value than other similar dementia care facilities for so many reasons. When they are first searching for a dementia care placement for their family member, most families do not grasp the concept that they might have to move their loved one from the first facility once his/her dementia reaches a certain point or that the facility might require that the family hire and pay for private caregivers to supplement the care of a seriously disabled loved one. This does not happen at Arbor Place. Families do not have to find another facility when their loved one passes a certain threshold of disability, nor do they have to hire and pay for private caregivers to care for their loved one to add to the cost of care at Arbor Place. There is such a good caregiver-to-resident ratio that Arbor Place caregivers can meet the needs of all the residents regardless of an individual’s escalating levels of disability and need. A resident can move to Arbor Place and expect to remain there cared for by the Arbor Place staff even as his/her level of disability increases. Our family’s Arbor Place experience over a 4+-year period was stellar. Our loved one walked into Arbor Place on the first day there. As our loved one’s dementia progressed over time, the Arbor Place staff adapted care to our loved one’s significantly changing needs. We never had to move our loved one to another facility nor did we have to hire “extra” caregivers. The Arbor Place staff personalized care and met our loved one’s every need even as those needs grew more acute and critical. Arbor Place also supported our family members both during our loved one’s time there and after our loved one passed away from Alzheimer’s disease. We came to love the staff as our loved one did and continue to this day to appreciate all that they did for our loved one and our family.

November 2021

Google

Arlynn Joffe

I researched and visited many facilities looking for a new placement for my mom who has dementia. It was apparent, for many reasons, why Arbor Place stood out. Not only was the resident/staff ratio the best of any place in the area, you could sense immediately the care, compassion, and the respect they give to each resident in their very capable and supportive hands. The Executive Director, Head of Nursing and the Assisted Living Manager are always keeping me in the loop with Mom. I love watching how much dignity and respect Mom receives from the staff and how well they know her---quirks and all. Dementia care isn't easy, but they truly "get it" and go with the flow and always know what to do and what to say. I'm very aware that they work closely with visiting doctors, adapt the menus and know what foods mom likes and can't eat, keep tabs on all her medications, encourage participation in activities, take her for walks outside and give her great back rubs. I'm so comforted that Arbor Place is Mom's home and that she is happy and well cared for.....and I can sleep at night knowing this.

March 2021

Google

Pamela Thompson

My mother had a rare neurological disorder and was a resident at Arbor Place for 2.5 years until she passed away, and I can only say wonderful things about this caring, amazing assisted living. They have the highest staff to resident ratios and highest standard of care of any AL I have heard of, and it was the level of care my mom needed. The staff became like family; they threw me an unbelievably creative baby shower, when I was pregnant, because they knew how much it meant to my mom to celebrate her first and only grandchild, and to make me feel cared for as she was losing the ability to speak and move. I still consider them family, and am so glad we found them for my mom so she could have a higher quality of life at the end.

July 2018

Google

Ellen D

My husband was a resident at Arbor Place for 1.5 years...he recently died and I just wrote a note to the caregivers at Arbor that I'm about to put in the mail. I thought the best way to express my thoughts about this wonderful place would be to share what I've just written in this note: To the wonderful people at Arbor Place... When a family makes a decision to move their loved one into dementia care, it is a gut-wrenching process. The thing that keeps us going during that period is the hope that our family member will feel safe, cared for AND cared about. As many of you know, because Aaron had been hospitalized at a Baltimore hospital, they had recommended that I move him to a Baltimore-area facility when he was discharged from the hospital. He was there for 2 years and then, I decided to move him because of problems at that facility. That's when I found Arbor Place and everything changed. It changed for Aaron and changed for me. Suddenly, the worry and anxiety that I had carried for 2 years went away. Aaron 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. You give a gift to those of us who entrust our family members to your care. The gift is of incalculable value. It is peace, trust and love. I have enormous gratitude to all you did for Aaron during his time at Arbor. Love, Ellen

July 2017

Google

Cl Diaz

October 2014

SeniorAdvisor

Visitor

I like the total presentation; the staff, the location, the facilities the owner, the advice i get from anyone I talk to that's involved with Arbor Place. I like their professionalism, their thoroughness, and their friendliness. I like the location, the cleanliness, and the design of the facilities. I like the location because it is near where I live.

August 2013

SeniorAdvisor

Resident

Arbor Place is very nice,comfortable with very friendly people. Dr. Fanburg,easy to talk with. All private rooms, small but cozy, all furnished. Small outside. $315.00 day,approx. #10,400 year. May be too confining? only 16 people so get more attention.