What families in Northern Virginia should know before starting home care

Most families call a home care agency in the middle of something. Dad just got discharged. Mom fell. The kids came home for Thanksgiving and found unpaid bills on the counter and an empty refrigerator. That’s a hard moment to start comparing agencies.

So we sat down for a conversation on Care Across America with host Valerie VanBooven, RN BSN. Our co-owner, Niran Gunaratnam, talked about how Mint Home Care hires caregivers, how we match them with clients, and what we tell families who aren’t sure they can afford care. The full interview is below. If you’d rather read, here’s what we covered.

It started with church visits, not a business plan

Before Mint existed, Niran spent close to 20 years volunteering through his church. He visited residents of a large continuing care retirement community near Washington, DC, people the church calls shut-ins.

“They live in this beautiful community where all their meals are taken care of, various activities, amenities, you name it,” he said. “But what they are missing is the emotional connection with people. A lot of times they’re lonely. They really don’t have anybody to talk to.”

Some residents had a son in Baltimore who called once a month. That was it. Niran read newspapers with them, played board games, and took them on walks. As a volunteer, he couldn’t do more than that.

Years later, when the company where he met his two business partners wound down, the three of them started Mint. Niran is open about it: they came in with zero home care background and learned everything from scratch. They looked at several franchises and decided against them. As an independent agency, Mint isn’t boxed into one county or one territory. We serve Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Alexandria, Arlington, and the rest of Northern Virginia, anywhere we can staff well.

How we hire caregivers

Niran or his business partner, John, is directly involved in about 90% of our hiring. It starts with a phone call and some qualifying questions. If the candidate seems right, the process moves forward.

What he’s listening for doesn’t show up on a résumé. “Whether they have a real interest in what they’re doing, whether they have a passion, whether they have their heart in the right place,” he said. “Because it’s not like a nine-to-five type job.” Valerie called it a calling, the same thing that pulls people into nursing or teaching. Without it, caregivers burn out fast.

Many of our caregivers are immigrants. Some came to this country without their spouses and are raising children on their own, so childcare can fall apart on any given morning. We plan around that instead of pretending it doesn’t happen. We also pay above market rate. We add gas money when prices spike, a holiday bonus, and a small gift on each caregiver’s birthday.

There’s no home care without caregivers. A caregiver who feels valued stays longer, and your mom doesn’t have to meet a new stranger every month.

Good home care is good matchmaking

Niran’s view is simple: “This business is all about matchmaking.” The right match can make an agency’s reputation. The wrong one can break it.

Some matches come down to physical ability. A client who is bedbound needs a caregiver who can safely reposition them and handle all their care in bed. Other clients are mostly independent and need company, some light housework, and rides to appointments. We charge mileage for those rides at the IRS rate, which often comes out cheaper than an Uber.

Some matches come down to personality, and that’s the part most agencies skip. Some of our most skilled caregivers aren’t big talkers. English may be their second language, or they’re shy. They’re excellent at cooking, laundry, and keeping a house running. We won’t send that caregiver to a family whose main goal is keeping a talkative mother engaged in conversation. For that home, we send someone who loves to talk, go for walks, and keep her off the couch and away from the TV.

When it works, families tell us. Valerie described the thank-you notes every agency hopes for: “We really love Mary. Mom loves it. She visits on Tuesdays.” That’s how we know the match is right.

The first days home from the hospital

Discharge planners and social workers often do a good job lining up paperwork and getting someone to the car. Then the patient gets home, and it’s a different situation entirely.

Niran shared a story about the nurse who does assessments for us. She went to a new family’s home at 10 a.m. for a routine visit. She left at 5 p.m. The wife had just come home from a nursing home with no paperwork in place and no follow-up appointments made, and her husband had no idea where to start. Our nurse sat at their kitchen table and made the calls. She believed that without that day, the wife would have been back in the nursing home within a week. The couple had no children nearby, only nieces and nephews in other states. In cases like that, we end up being the family that’s close by.

Before someone comes home, we also look at the house itself. Clutter is one of the biggest fall risks. As Valerie put it, “The clutter is the death trap.” A caregiver can come in ahead of time, clear walkways, and set the home up so the client can move around safely.

If you know a hip or knee replacement is coming and family will be at work during the day, call before the surgery, not after. We can be there to open the door on the day you get home.

Not every client needs us forever

That’s a good thing. Our goal is to keep people at home and independent for as long as possible, and sometimes that means helping someone recover until they don’t need us anymore. Niran recently had a client who used morning care for several weeks. Then he told us he could manage on his own and would call if he needed us again. Niran was glad to hear it.

Winter changes the picture, though. Flu season, ice, and snow keep a lot of seniors indoors who normally get out just fine. Short-term help during the worst months can make the difference.

What to watch for over the holidays

Every year, adult children come home for Thanksgiving and realize something has changed. Mom and Dad sounded great on the phone. Then they walk in and find dishes piling up, laundry undone, unopened bills, or a refrigerator that’s almost empty.

Their parents rarely ask for help. Many in that generation are careful with money, and not because they don’t have it. They don’t want to rely on anyone, and they worry about running out of savings. So it usually falls to a son or daughter to say, “Mom, you need some help.” In Niran’s experience, most adult children are fully on board with spending their parents’ money on care. They want their parents to use it.

When Mom keeps saying no

This is one of the most common calls we get. Mom needs help, and she keeps refusing it.

Niran’s answer is to try it. Start with a trial of one or two weeks. If she really doesn’t want anyone in the house afterward, so be it. Usually it goes the other way. Clients start out reluctant, then begin looking forward to the caregiver who makes lunch, sits down to eat with them, takes them to the hair salon, and drives them to the doctor.

No weekly minimums, honest answers about shifts

The first question many families ask is, “Do you have a minimum?” We don’t enforce a weekly minimum. Some clients use us for a few hours a week. Others use us for 8 or 12 hours a day, all the way up to 24/7 care.

What we do ask for is enough hours per shift to attract the right caregiver. Four hours is a good starting point, and Valerie made the case for it in the interview. A bath or shower, a grocery trip, laundry, and changing bed linens can take most of a visit on their own. A four-hour shift two or three days a week is a comfortable way to start. When your mom gets attached to her caregiver, adding a longer day is easy.

Shorter shifts are possible with some flexibility. A rigid two-hour window from noon to 2 p.m. every day is hard to fill, because it blocks a caregiver from taking any other work. Niran will tell you that upfront instead of overpromising.

Split shifts are where we can go further than most agencies. We cared for a man in Arlington for three years after he moved home from assisted living. He needed help only in the morning and before bed. Many agencies turn those shifts down. We found a caregiver with a daytime job who came from 7 to 8:30 a.m. to get him up and settled with breakfast, then came back in the evening for dinner, a shower, and bedtime. When his needs grew beyond what short visits could safely cover, Niran worked with his son to plan a move back to a community with more support.

If your budget truly doesn’t fit what an agency can offer, Niran will often share names of private caregivers he trusts, even though Mint earns nothing from it. Families get help, and a good caregiver gets work.

Talk to Mint Home Care

If you’re caring for a parent in Fairfax or anywhere in Northern Virginia and you’re not sure where to start, call us. We’ll ask about your loved one, give you a realistic picture of what’s possible on your schedule and budget, and help you figure out the right first step, even if that turns out not to be us.

Mint Home Care Providers, LLC Call (703) 828-0011 or visit MintHomecare.com License HCO-0002198

Frequently asked questions

Does Mint Home Care require a minimum number of hours?

No weekly minimum. We ask for enough hours per shift to match you with the right caregiver, and four hours is a common starting point. Care can range from a few visits a week to 24/7.

What areas does Mint Home Care serve?

The greater Fairfax area and all of Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Alexandria, and Arlington.

Can we try home care before committing?

Yes. When a parent is hesitant, we often suggest a trial of one or two weeks to see how it goes.

Can Mint help when someone is coming home from the hospital or rehab?

Yes. We can help prepare the home before discharge, including clearing clutter that creates fall risks, and have a caregiver there on the day your loved one comes home. If a surgery is scheduled, call us beforehand.

Do you offer split shifts, like mornings and evenings only?

Often, yes. Split shifts are harder to staff, so availability depends on caregiver schedules, but we have staffed morning and evening routines for clients for years at a time.