Joyce Magbanua, Vice President of Quality, Safety & Clinical Integration at Help at Home, has been named to the Future Leaders Class of 2026 by Home Health Care News.
To become a Future Leader, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who is 40 years of age or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put vision into action, and an advocate for seniors, and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.
Magbanua sat down with Home Health Care News to share what drew her to the home health & home care industry, the biggest leadership lessons she has learned, her thoughts on the future of home health & home care, and much more. To learn more about the Future Leaders Awards program, visit https://futureleaders.wtwhmedia.com/.
HHCN: What drew you to the home health & home care industry?
Magbanua: Before I became a nurse, I knew what it felt like for a family to navigate healthcare from the outside looking in. As my family adjusted to life in a new country and a different healthcare system, I learned how much clarity, trust, and guidance matter.
That experience shaped my belief that care should meet people where they are. Home-based care drew me in because it brings support back to where life happens: the home. It is where people recover, manage change, lean on family, and hold on to independence and dignity.
At Help at Home, that person-centered approach is central to our mission. This work is deeply personal to me because it helps people feel safe, supported, and understood in the place that matters most.
HHCN: How would you describe your leadership style, and how has it changed over time?
Magbanua: My leadership style is systems-oriented, collaborative, and purpose-driven. I focus on creating clarity, structure, and alignment so teams understand not only what we are doing, but why it matters.
Over time, my leadership has grown from solving immediate problems to building sustainable systems that improve quality, reliability, and communication across care delivery. I still lead with an operator’s mindset, but I now think more broadly about how scalable processes can support caregivers, clients, and the human side of care.
That personal lens continues to shape how I lead. I pay attention to what people may not always say: I don’t understand. I’m afraid to ask. I don’t know who to call. That awareness guides how I support teams, design workflows, and build trust through clearer communication.
HHCN: What is the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned while serving the home health & home care industry?
Magbanua: The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that people don’t experience healthcare as a system. They experience it through moments. Care either feels clear, reliable, compassionate, and responsive, or it doesn’t.
In home care, those moments might include a caregiver noticing a change in condition, a family finally understanding discharge instructions, or a phone call that prevents a hospitalization. Small moments can have an enormous impact on whether someone feels safe and supported at home.
As leaders, our responsibility is to build systems that protect those moments. Compassion is essential, but reliability is what turns compassion into a consistent experience clients and families can trust.
HHCN: In one word, how would you describe the home health & home care industry and why?
Magbanua: Human.
Home-based care happens where people are most themselves, in their homes and communities. You see the whole person: their routines, family dynamics, culture, fears, strengths, and goals.
At Help at Home, we believe quality care is about more than completing tasks. It’s about helping people remain safe, independent, and connected to the life they want to live.
HHCN: What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges currently facing the home health & home care industry?
Magbanua: One of the biggest opportunities in home-based care is that we see what the broader healthcare system can sometimes miss. We see whether someone understands their medications, has food in the home, is struggling after discharge, or may be experiencing isolation or instability.
That insight is incredibly valuable, but only if organizations have the infrastructure, workflows, and support systems to act on it quickly and consistently.
At the same time, the industry is navigating workforce shortages, reimbursement pressure, regulatory complexity, and increasing demand for care. That’s why I believe the future depends on building stronger operational support models, better visibility into risk, and technology that helps teams respond earlier while keeping care personal and relationship-based.
HHCN: If you had a crystal ball, what do you think will impact the home health & home care industry over the next 5-10 years?
Magbanua: I believe the home will continue becoming one of the most important settings in healthcare. As clients return home with more complex needs, home-based care organizations will need stronger infrastructure connecting what happens in the home to centralized clinical and operational support.
The future isn’t simply about adding more technology or AI. It’s about creating systems where caregivers and care teams’ observations of their clients lead to timely action, better coordination, and safer outcomes.
The organizations that succeed will use technology to improve visibility, reduce delays, and support proactive care, while still preserving the personal, relationship-based nature of home care. The goal is not to make care feel automated. It’s to make it feel more connected, reliable, and human while driving efficiency and compliance.
HHCN: In your opinion, what qualities must all Future Leaders possess?
Magbanua: Future Leaders need courage, humility, and the ability to build. We have to be willing to look honestly at systems that aren’t working, listen to the people closest to the work, and create structures that make care safer, clearer, and more reliable.
In home-based care, leadership isn’t just about setting a vision. It is about turning that vision into something clients, families, and caregivers can actually experience in their day-to-day lives.
That also requires cultural humility and empathy. Every family comes to care with a different story, a different level of trust, and a different support system. Strong leaders recognize that and build processes that are consistent without losing the human connection.
At the center of it all, Future Leaders have to remember what the work is really about: making it easier for people to receive safe, reliable care at home, and making sure caregivers and teams have the support to deliver it well.