When Esther Iwunze stepped in as her mother’s caregiver, she often felt like she was trying to navigate a maze. The senior care industry was unfamiliar and finding the resources they needed as she provided hands-on, full-time care was overwhelming.
This experience inspired her to make senior caregiving easier, more accessible and less daunting. So, she launched not just her own homecare agency, but also created a series of trade shows to offer resources and connections for seniors—all with the goal of letting older people navigate their futures with confidence.
“I experienced what it was like being a caregiver for (my mom),” Iwunze said. “Knowing that she felt loved, she felt compassion and trying to be the best I could be for her was an opportunity for me to (realize that) I want everyone who we care for to experience that kind of care.”
“Knowing that there are a lot of cracks in the system, I decided to start my own homecare agency and find ways to provide better services,” she continued.
Iwunze had experience as a geriatric nurse before she founded her agency, which now provides pediatric and adult home health services, private duty nursing, personal care and more. Inspired by her own personal caregiving experience, the agency was founded to meet the consistent need for senior care.
About a year into running her agency, Iwunze took another step by creating Senior Trade Shows, which hosts events for the senior community in and around the Houston metropolitan area and farther afield in Texas.
Over the past nine years, the monthly trade shows have been a platform to connect seniors to resources and network with others in the community. They include resources on Medicare, estate planning, health screenings, nutritional information and more.
Iwunze says her eventual goal is to make the trade shows into a national event, allowing more seniors and community members to attend the events.
“(The shows) give (seniors) resources that can empower them,” Iwunze said. “We do that in an environment that is fun by providing entertainment in a safe environment, an environment that makes them feel welcomed. It gives them an opportunity to network with their peers, connect with subject matter experts, ask questions and get help on the spot.”
Iwunze said it’s important to be passionate about and dedicated to the senior care industry in order to make a longterm, positive impact. After all, the demand for people who are passionate about helping others isn’t going to lessen any time soon, she said.
“There’s always going to be a need to take care of seniors. Our seniors are not going anywhere,” she said. “There’s always going to be that demand. And our parents and seniors took care of us first, so it’s only right that we also take care of them. That’s where my heart is.”
