Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Greater Richmond

Meet the Office

Who We Are

We at Senior Helpers provide knowledgeable in-home senior care with a variety of services ranging from the love of companion care to the skills of personal care. Along with personal and companion care training, our caregivers also specialize in Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care with training via our strategic developed Senior Gems program, as well as Parkinson’s Disease Care. Our caregivers cover most of the western part of Greater-Richmond, VA including Ashland, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Midlothian, Powhatan, Chesterfield, Chester, Hopewell, Colonial Heights, Petersburg, and surrounding rural areas. The office is centrally located for both the Southside and Westend at Midlothian Center at the intersection of Midlothian Turnpike and Powhite Parkway. It is conveniently located just few miles from Chippenham, Johnston Willis, and St Francis hospital.

We give our all to not only our outstanding clients, but also to our tremendous caregivers and staff. Our mission is to serve, to our fullest potential, those that are in need of our services. We strive to alleviate the stress of life by being a family’s liaison to aging care. With devotion and God’s love, we at Senior Helpers work every day to be the respected organization of our area – the organization that clients trust.

Our History

Senior Helpers of Greater Richmond, Virginia - West is locally owned and operated by Paul Mincey who has lived in Chester since 2001 and in the Richmond area since 1991. Senior Helpers has been a premier national leader in senior home care since 2002. Paul and his wife Susie were caregivers for her mother for over two years in their own home as she struggled with dementia. Paul understands what family members go through as aging parents need more help to maintain their independence. His entrepreneurial spirit combined with knowledge and connections in the medical community lead him to open a Senior Helpers franchise that would enable him to have a more hands on approach in the field of healthcare and allow him to be a blessing to others. What impressed Paul the most about Senior Helpers is the nationally recognized program for Alzheimer’s and Dementia that were created by Senior Helpers with the assistance of expert Teepa Snow, and their program for Parkinson’s Disease patients.

Our process

The first step in the process is a complimentary, initial in-home care assessment with a Senior Helpers consultant. This assessment can help you understand the true needs of your loved one, and your options. Together we can discuss their needs, our senior care services and determine what’s best for your entire family.

We will cover:

Your family's specific goals

Your loved one's daily plan design and schedule

Pricing and payment methods

Implementation process

Ongoing communication and follow-up plan

Meet Our Team

Paul Mincey

President

Paul has an undergraduate degree in Finance from Virginia Tech and has spent his entire career in sales and sales management, with his last 17 being in the medical field in Richmond, VA. Consequently, he has extensive relationships with many physicians that refer their patients to Senior Helpers. They know that Paul understands the challenges that face the aging senior, the demands facing the supporting family, and the struggles of being in the “Sandwich” generation. The sandwich generation is comprised of middle-aged parents that are still raising children, but now are also taking care of their aging parents and are therefore “sandwiched” in between two generations that need their help. This was Paul and his wife Susie’s life. They have 3 boys and were primary caregivers to her mother for two years in their home until her dementia and other health conditions reached a point that she needed the care of a facility. They can relate to the struggles that many of their clients and client families are going through and can provide solutions and support.

Senior Helpers’ strength is its ability to provide clients with honest and realistic expectations of how this service industry works. They take pride in not only how they communicate with their clients, but also with how they work with their caregivers. Too often in this industry, caregivers are placed on a shift instead of matched with a client. Senior Helpers places the right clinical skills and the right personality with a client to ensure the best compatibility and long-term satisfaction with their care. Their clients appreciate the extra steps they take to provide the best care possible. Senior Helpers has set the highest standards for hiring, training, and management of their care team. They provide a healthy and fun work environment, helping caregivers develop a positive and meaningful career.

In Paul’s spare time, he and Susie can be found coaching, supporting, spectating, chauffeuring, and raising their three boys. As a family they enjoy watersports at Lake Gaston and vacationing in the Outer Banks.

Lauren Lafoon

I am a registered nurse that has specialized in many areas over the 5 years that I have been in my profession. My number one drive in this career is to help others and make a difference in their lives. I am a mother to two wonderful children and have been married to my husband for 6 years. Our careers both give back to the community in different ways, but we are both very passionate about this. I began my career in a very high traffic emergency department specializing in trauma care. After moving to a different area, I expanded my knowledge in management, long term care, and rehabilitation. Senior Helpers is new way for myself to get back out into the community to and give back, and help veterans receive quality care!

Mary Vickerman

Becoming a nurse has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It has given me far more than I could have dreamed. My nursing education has continued through caring for all patient populations, and learning by listening to my patients, their families, colleagues and other clinicians. The deep friendships I have developed with other nurses and doctors, working so closely together in crisis situations has brought true meaning to being a team player.

Critical care was my first love for over 15 years. From there I had the opportunity to fill several leadership positions, educator roles, mentoring new nurses, and then becoming a part of a very busy surgical department, admitting Preop patients, circulating as an OR nurse, Scrubbing and assisting with major surgeries, and also recovering patients.

The opportunities were endless, every day was different, filled
with excitement, awe and a desire to do more. My memories are treasured.

After leaving the hospital to ‘semi retire’ to a part time education position teaching clinicians new technologies, I missed my patients. Senior Helpers has filled my need to return to my patients, working with them wherever they are in life’s ups and downs, working to improve their quality of life. I’m proud to be a part of this organization.

My family is my pride and joy! I am blessed with a hardworking husband, three grown children, their spouses and seven grandchildren. I Love people, traveling, boating, gardening, exercising, reading, decorating, snow skiing and jumping on my pogo stick.

Jo Ellen Smith

As a Registered Nurse for more years than I can remember, I take pride in saying that I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the opportunities that Nursing has offered me. I began my career as a medical-surgical floor nurse, and after one year was promoted to Assistant Head Nurse of the “Premi/Sick Baby” unit, now known as NICU. After having my own baby, I entered the world of geriatrics and loved it, much to my surprise. I eventually became a licensed Nursing Home Administrator and ran facilities in Virginia, Texas and Florida – such a fascinating and educational experience for many years. I retired from that career for 17 years or so and settled into becoming “Mom’s Taxi” juggling the responsibilities of car pool, homemaker, dog lover and traveler, seeing all of what the world had to offer…..fascinating and educational.

The call as a Geriatric Nurse came again and I enjoyed a wonderful experience as a certified Dementia Specific Community Nurse, educating and counseling families who became caregivers for loved ones of Alzheimer’s and others diagnosed with dementia specific diseases, such as Frontal Temporal Lobe dementia, Lewy Body dementia, and Huntington disease. An experience of a lifetime and one of my most favorite positions. I then decided to retire for good, traveled more and left Florida, my home of 36 years, moved to Martha’s Vineyard to live close to my daughter, her husband and grand-dogs. Lovely time there but the winters were too COLD, so I moved back to my birth City of Richmond to be near other family members and childhood friends. Six years ago, the voice of Nursing was heard again and I became a part-time RN for Home Care companies, visiting and assessing those choosing to stay in their homes, and developing Care Plans for them so they could stay in their own environment with care assistance.

I am happy to say this opportunity is rewarding, and allows me to share with families and clients my knowledge and experience gained over these many years as an RN. Some of life’s rewards cannot be given up.

Ashley White

Lead Caregiver

My name is Ashley White, and I have been a CNA for 14 years with experience in home health, skilled facilities, assisted living as well as many years of providing for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s. I love my job and I am very compassionate and empathetic. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my husband and my 2 daughters.

Meet the Office

Our History

Our process

Caregiver of the Month | January 2024

Meet Our Team

Images from the Greater Richmond VA Office

Areas We Serve