About Us

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Donna Poole is the Founder and President of Arcadia Assisted Living.  Located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Arcadia specializes in a small-home assisted living model, with each home accommodating up to 16 residents.  This model lends itself to a comfortable, intimate environment, that allows residents to truly feel at home. 

Her passion for eldercare came 15 years ago after bringing her 92-year-old grandmother home from a skilled nursing stay to provide end-of-life care.  Within a few days of individualized, loving care, Donna witnessed her grandmother come to life and thrive another five years. Empowered by her grandmother’s transformation, Donna opened an assisted living.

In 2017, Donna earned her Master’s in Management of Aging Services from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and dove into expanding her model of care.  During her master’s program, Donna formally developed the “AlzProv” model along with her daughter, Jessie, an experienced theatre actress. Jessie Poole has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting and theatre from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has acted and produced plays with her start-up theatre company, which has performed at the Kennedy Center and the New York City Fringe Festival. She has worked alongside her mother, Donna Poole, at Arcadia Assisted Living since its inception and more recently has taken on a role in workforce development, as a trainer and mentor. Together, they train the Arcadia staff and family members to use this method when working with people with dementia. 

Since the inception of Arcadia, Donna and Jessie have cared for many family members and residents with dementia and considers every new resident an expansion of their family. They realized people flourish when given a nurturing and caring environment.  This concept led them to create an employment practice that “hires for heart” and the Arcadia Academy, where staff who display a sincere, nurturing manner are trained as future leaders for the organization.