Born of his family’s own experience in navigating care for a family member, local business owner Raul Chavez has opened a new venture to address challenges of caring for older relatives – a challenge that he says that a rapidly growing number of families throughout the Katy area will soon face.

Chavez recently launched a Hallmark Homecare franchise, designed to meet this local need, connecting families with caregivers. It matches families in zip codes 77077, 77094, 77450, and 77494 with independent professional caregivers for tailored in-home care. Backing this local effort is Hallmark Homecare's established nationwide network; driven by a strong team of fellow experts in the field, the organization serves not only South Katy and Cinco Ranch, but all of Houston and its surrounding communities.

According to data from the 2020 U.S. census, Katy area zip codes house the fastest-growing 55-plus population in Greater Houston, as the area continues a trend researchers call “aging-in-place.”

“Given all the growth and development in Katy, it is hard to imagine a Katy that is holding constant,” said Daniel Potter, Director of Rice University’s Houston Population Research Center. “Though if development is thought of as ‘the constant,’ then there are opportunities for continued growth in the older adult population.”

An expansion in population needs in areas such as “in-home caregiving services, transportation services, and basic needs assistance services” could also follow if compounding growth rates in the older adult population throughout the Katy area continue, Potter said.

With the quickly rising number of older adults and a current drop in caregivers in the area, more families will likely find the need for services like Hallmark’s more critical, said Potter.

For Chavez, the data goes beyond opposing numbers. His past compelled him to look ahead to what this might mean for the future of the Katy community and to take action.

Chavez spoke of the last months of in-home care for his grandmother, Josefina Bustamante and the toll that it took on his family, especially his wife. “We faced the soul-crushing stress of a dangerous 'revolving door' of care, seeing a different person almost every shift.”

Before her death on April 17, 2020, Bustamante and her four adult children faced a confusing system that often left gaps in service and inadequate care.

“This lack of consistency led to critical medical errors and multiple hospitalizations, creating immense strain for all of us,” Chavez said.

Once in-home care became too cumbersome, Chavez’s family turned to each other to care for Bustamante.

“But it was too much for my mom and aunts,” Chavez said. “The weight of it all tore them apart.”

Hallmark Homecare was designed to address two common challenges families face when seeking care for an aging loved one: the inconsistency that can come with frequent caregiver turnover and the pressure families may feel when trying to navigate care on their own.

It was important to Chavez that families select their preferred caregiver to work with directly, while bypassing heavy agency overhead, typically saving 20 to 30 percent on the total cost of care. Placements span the full spectrum of care as caregivers are matched to the individual client, from companion services to support for specialized needs and chronic conditions.

Because the caregivers Hallmark Homecare refers work directly for the client, the client makes decisions about their care, including the caregiver(s) they select, the rate of pay, the hours of service, and the scope of care. This attracts and retains top-tier professionals with at least five years of experience.

"Our approach relies on a more equitable, sustainable business model. I still carry the 'what ifs'—wondering if a service like Hallmark could have prevented those errors and given us more quality time with her," Chavez said. "As a referral agency, it was important to me that Hallmark offer Katy families the control and consistency (my family) lacked.”

On Oct. 2 at 11 a.m., Chavez will host a ribbon-cutting for the South Katy and Cinco Ranch branch of Hallmark Homecare at the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce at 814 East Avenue Suite A in Old Katy. The event is free to attend. For more information on the ribbon cutting, go to https://business.katychamber.com/chamber-calendar/Details/ribbon-cutting-hallmark-homecare-1889476?sourceTypeId=Hub.