Good Neighbor Podcast: Orange County

From Caregiver To Founder: Building Faith-Based, Human-Powered Home Care

• Rachel Fyffe & Ryan Mendoza

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What if the help your parents need could actually protect their independence instead of taking it away? We sit down with Magnificare Home Care founder Ryan Mendoza to explore what compassionate, non-medical support looks like when it’s guided by faith, informed by data, and delivered by people who truly care. Ryan’s story starts at the bedside in 2001 and grows into a community-rooted agency serving North and South Orange County and parts of Los Angeles, built on word-of-mouth trust and a clear promise: dignity, safety, and consistency at home.

Ryan unpacks a common misconception that stops families from seeking help—the belief that hiring a caregiver means surrendering control. Drawing on his master’s studies in gerontology and decades of hands-on experience, he explains how the right care plan actually extends autonomy by preventing falls, reducing hospital visits, and keeping daily routines steady and meaningful. We talk about caregiver-client matching, why continuity matters for early warning signs, and how small rituals—like shared meals or a short walk—can lift energy and restore purpose.

You’ll also hear the human side of home care. Ryan shares how family life, quick cooking hacks, and a calm presence translate into better support for clients. He speaks candidly about time, legacy, and what it means to show love to aging parents now—not later. If you’re weighing options for a loved one, this conversation offers practical guidance, heartfelt insight, and clear next steps for finding reliable in-home help in Orange County and nearby communities.

Explore Magnificare Home Care at magnificare.net or call 949-438-8881. Want to connect with Ryan directly? Reach him at 949-300-6740. If this conversation helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s caregiving, and leave a review to help more neighbors find support.

SPEAKER_00:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, a place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Rachel Fly.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Now, if you have an aging parent or loved one and you're in need of in-home care to help with daily living activities, meals, and other general duties, well, we have the perfect resource for you. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Ryan Mendoza, with Magnificare Home Care. Ryan, how is it going?

SPEAKER_02:

Hi, Rachel. I'm doing well. Thank you. How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_01:

I am great. And I gotta tell you, we're really excited to learn about your business. So tell us about your company.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, okay. Uh Magnificare Home Care. Uh we are a non-medical home care. We are serving both North and South Orange County and some parts of LA. And um, let's see, uh, Magnificare, we are our tagline is we are faith-based, uh, we are data driven, and we are a human-powered home care organization.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Now, how did you get into this kind of business?

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, um, I started working as a caregiver myself, and this was back in 2001, that was 24 years ago. And um, I came from a family of caregivers. Um, right now, my sisters, you know, from working as caregivers, they are um one of them is an RN and one of them is uh PT. And um basically we are I I I um I moved here in the US back in 2001 from the Philippines, and we were given this opportunity to serve as caregivers. And from then on, I never stopped until I founded Magnific Air up to this point. That's how I started.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, what do you think are maybe some myths or misconceptions in your industry?

SPEAKER_02:

You know, that's a really good question because there's a lot of misconceptions about uh home care, but I can point to one right now, which is very important, is that uh people think, you know, especially the older adults, they feel that um once they started to have a home care or a caregiver, it means that they're losing their independence. And that's that's really is not the truth. Um, I'm currently in school, you know, doing a master's in gerontology, and there's a lot of theory of aging. And for me, it's really important to get definitions, you know, um, from formal schooling and you know, maintaining active, um, engaged lifestyle, you know, really helps older adults to preserve their independence and their you know sense of purpose, and you can you can do it safely having help like a caregiver in place. So that's a misconception that I think is important to be addressed.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. So now um now we know marketing is really the heart of every business. So how are you finding your your your clients and you know family members to take care of?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, you know, um like I mentioned earlier, I worked in this industry since 2001. And people people want to hire people that they know, you know. So it's really um, you know, like I work for a patient for a client, the family referred my name to other people, and it came to a point that I couldn't spread myself too thin, you know. So I founded this magnificare. And um, the way we had been finding patients really is through word of mouth. Um, we currently um um hired uh two marketers, you know, one um focusing on the north Orange County and one in the south. And that really is helping us, you know, a lot just to focus on being intentional in terms of like getting more clients. And um, so that's how we're doing it. Uh word of mouth, um, having the right people working for you, and um we're social media as well, you know, we're active in social media, and um we're we're coming to uh we want it to be a source of information, you know, being there out in the in the field.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Have you ever thought of doing your own podcast?

SPEAKER_02:

I I really I really don't think I would like to have my own podcast, you know. But this is wonderful, just you know, having this experience speaking with you.

SPEAKER_01:

Good, good. Now, uh Ryan, outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, um, I I have two little kids, you know. So my wife and I uh we have a seven-year-old daughter and a four-year-old, four-year-old son, and I just wanted to spend time with them. You know, if I'm not at work, you will just see me in the house uh playing board games, watching TV cartoons, going to parks. We like to go to theme parks, and um, I also like to cook, you know. I I learned how to cook, you know, being a caregiver, I I just learned how to make quick meals, whatever is available in the fridge. You know, I like making garbage omelette, I would say, all those uh vegetables that needed to be cooked. So I like to cook and spend time with the family.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, Ryan, please tell please tell my listeners, our listeners, one thing they should remember about uh magnificare home care.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, yeah. So Magnificare Home Care. I mean, I've been in this industry since 2001. And I think I would like for everyone to know that life is really short, you know. I mean, we're not here for the long, we're not here forever. I mean, those people that I have taken care of back in 2001, I am now taking care of their adult children. And it just kind of tell you, like, you know, life is short, you know, live your life to the fullest. Whatever your parents need now, so that they can live their life, just give it everything. And it, you know, it's uh it's important, you know, that um for myself, I need to be reminded as well, you know, that we have to just do our best right now, whatever you do for work. And for caregivers, it kind of is uh more magnified because it's kind of personal in a way, hard to find the line between professional and personal. And um, you know, so life is short. I think uh we have to, you know, support our parents, you know, make sure that they they feel the love, you know, from the family.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, how can our listeners learn more about Magnificare Home Care?

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, we have our website, it's uh magnificare.net, and also our office number is uh 949-438-8881. And you can call that number any time of the day. And I will also give my uh direct uh cell phone number so that those people who would like to directly contact me. And my number is area code 949-300-6740.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, Ryan, I really appreciate you being on the show, and we wish you and your business really all the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you so much, Rachel. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnporgecounty.com. That's gnpoachcounty.com or call 714 941 2862.