The Founder of Family Home Care

Family Home Care's Clients appreciate that the Owner has
experienced the long process of providing quality care for a loved
one and in the process learned the true meaning of
quality of life for those in need of care.

Donald A. Irish

President/CEO of Family Home Care, Inc.

After graduating from California State University, Bakersfield, Don worked for a national chemical company in the petroleum industry. There, he designed and sold chemical programs for the production-side of the petroleum industry.

The direction of Don’s professional life took an unexpected turn in the late 1970’s when his stepfather, a “wildcatter” oil-man, suffered a catastrophic injury while working on one of his oil leases. The accident left this once robust and independent man paralyzed as a C-4 quadriplegic who required hands-on assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Don’s family hired agencies, companies and individuals to provide the care his stepfather now depended upon. More often than not, there were problems associated with these organizations and individuals and Don or his family members very often were the ones who ended up providing the care necessary. Fighting a losing battle trying to get organizations or individuals to live up to the level of services promised, Don believed he could make a difference in, what was at that time, the virtually non-existent non-medical home care industry. He left his business and started his family's non-medical in-home care business. He has since worked in all areas of a non-medical in-home care business.

In 2003, Don left his position as CEO of his family's home care company to start his own in-home care agency. He founded, and is currently the President of Family Home Care, Inc. headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. He has since expanded his operations and also offers services in and around Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona and in San Luis Obispo,  Northern Santa Barbara, and Orange County California. The policies and procedures of Family Home Care reflect both his first-hand understanding of the need for caregivers in the home, as well as his 31+ years of executive and cumulative care experience in the non-medical in-home care industry.

Don believes in taking an active role in his community and continues to volunteer his time and efforts. In late 2007, he was part of a small group of pioneering individuals in Arizona who developed and started the non-profit trade association named the Arizona In-Home Care Association (AZNHA). He is a Founding Member of that association and served as its non-paid Executive Director from 2007-2013. He also donates part of his time as the Chapter Chair of another trade association, the non-profit American Board of Home Care, Orange County Chapter.

One of Don’s most important goals is to continually work to prevent elder abuse. He is a Founder and was Co-Chair of the national non-profit Stop Elder Abuse Foundation, headquartered in Orange County, California.  He serves as a member of the Arizona Attorney General’s Taskforce Against Senior Abuse Advisory Group (TASA). This group advises Arizona Attorney General Mark Baranovichi in matters concerning the senior citizens of Arizona, while focusing on identifying statewide senior abuse issues and establishing goals to combat abuse. He also served for several years as a member of the Arizona Governor’s Alzheimer’s Task Force. The goal of this Task Force, in alignment with the State Plan on Aging, is to address the growing human and financial cost of dementia care in Arizona.

In the past Don has served on the Arizona Non-Medical Home Care Licensure Coalition Coordinating Committee where he served as the Chairperson of their Legislative Committee. This committee was charged with writing a licensure bill for the home care industry in Arizona. Unfortunately the Arizona State Legislature is not currently interested in allowing the non-medical home care industry to be regulated.