This article describes a pilot research project designed to develop and test the efficacy of place-based models as a foundation for structuring dementia care settings. Placebased models of care provide a holistic and readily comprehensible context for facilities structuring dementia care settings. A place-based model of care uses the concept of place (eg, home or resort) as the organizing principle for understanding multiple dimensions of a setting including organizational, social, operational, and physical elements. Although this pilot research was based on a relatively small number of sites, results indicate that there may be a link between quality of care/quality of life and systematically applied place-based models of care.