Duo open first local location for business offering non-medical assistance for homebound seniors
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IDAHO FALLS – A home healthcare company offering non-medical assistance for senior members of the community is opening its first location in eastern Idaho.
Amada Senior Care celebrated its grand opening in Idaho Falls on Friday. It opened inside the Keller Williams building at 3525 Merlin Drive, Ste. 131.
Its team works with homebound seniors and helps with anything from meal preparation to shopping, running errands and other tasks.
“Our goal is to keep them home as long as possible but when we need to make a transition, we also offer placements,” co-owner Olga Szobonya tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We build relationships with the assisted living centers here. We can transfer our clients over to them (if needed).”
The business also helps clients navigate long-term options to pay for care.
Szobonya owns the business with Noelia Creager. They both love people and serving the community and Creager has an aging mother she’s trying to care for. These experiences prompted them to bring Amada to Idaho Falls.
“We worked together at Fox Hollow Elementary. While there, we saw the need of the families and we came to help them. One day, we said, ‘We should start a business.’ We looked into different options and this one seemed like a good opportunity for us,” Creager says.
Szobonya was born in Mexico but has lived in Idaho Falls most of her life. She attended Taylorview Middle School, where Creager, a native of Uruguay, worked as a teacher at the time.
“I didn’t know how to speak English and she was my teacher,” Szobonya recalls, noting Creager’s accent.
After high school, Szobonya set out to become a counselor. Later, her mom got sick and that led her to pursue nursing for a time. She eventually landed in the marketing space helping to promote the clinics she worked for.
Szobonya’s interest in community connection caught the attention of one of her employers, who encouraged her to start her own business.
She crossed paths with Creager again while working as the PTO President at Fox Hollow Elementary.
Creager has a degree in education and business management and worked for Idaho Falls School District 91 for 10 years.
She moved to the U.S. when she was 20 years old. She initially settled in Utah to attend the University of Utah. That’s where she met her husband, Mike, and they eventually moved to Idaho Falls.
After 10 years in education, Creager wanted to put her business management degree to use. She’s thrilled to be in business with Szobonya.
Tafa Jefferson and Chad Fotheringham, two college buddies who crossed paths while pursuing business degrees and playing football at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, formed Amada Senior Care in 2007, according to the company’s website.
The 6-foot, 6-inch men became known as the “big guys” with compassion and commitment. It allowed them to turn their concept into a national brand, which now has 150 locations.
The Idaho Falls location is the third one in Idaho. The others are in Boise and Meridian.
Szobonya and Creager are grateful to be involved in a venture they’re passionate about. Visit the website to learn more. You can also call (208) 936-3426.