Austin Adair

Raised in Home Care

I didn't choose home care — I was raised in it. As the son of founder Greg Adair, I grew up watching my father build Affordable Home Care from the ground up. Absorbing the values of compassion and accountability long before I officially joined the company in 2006.

My earliest memories of the business involve riding along on client visits, hearing my dad take calls from families in crisis. And watching him match caregivers with clients in ways that felt more like intuition than process. By the time I was old enough to work, the principles of good care weren't something I had to learn — they were something I'd been breathing my entire life.

Every Department, From the Ground Up

Rather than stepping into a leadership role immediately, I worked in every department of the business — scheduling, caregiver recruiting, client intake, field supervision, and office administration. This wasn't a rotation program; it was years of doing the work. When I tell a family how our scheduling system works, it's because I built schedules at 6 AM. When I explain how we recruit caregivers, it's because I've personally interviewed hundreds of them.

This ground-up approach gave me a well-rounded understanding of every aspect of home care operations that most agency owners never develop. I know where the system breaks down because I've been in the rooms where it breaks down. And I know how to fix it because I've done it — not delegated it.

Stability in a Revolving-Door Industry

The home care industry has a turnover problem. The average tenure for home care administrators is under three years. Agency owners sell, management changes, and families are left navigating a revolving door of new faces who don't know their loved one's history or preferences.

My nearly two decades with a single organization is the exception, not the rule — and that stability translates directly into care quality. Families working with Affordable Home Care aren't starting over every few years with someone who's still learning the job. They're working with someone who has personally overseen thousands of care plans across Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties. And who will still be here next year, and the year after that.

Giving Back Through Education

I'm a member of the Senior Compass Group , where I host regular "Ask the Advisor" meetings that educate seniors and family caregivers about navigating the aging process. These sessions cover topics from understanding care options and managing caregiver burnout to decoding Medicare vs. private pay — giving back the knowledge I've accumulated over a lifetime in this field.

I'm a member of the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) , the national trade association representing home care providers committed to excellence and ethical practices. I'm also a member of the Michigan In-Home Care Association (MICA) , Michigan's state-level association specifically for private-duty home care agencies — connecting us to peers and advocacy efforts across the state.

Medicaid & Community Partnerships

Affordable Home Care served as an authorized vendor for AgeWays (Area Agency on Aging 1-B) . Providing Medicaid-funded home care services to seniors across Oakland, Macomb, and Livingston counties. We maintained that partnership for years until 2019, when Medicaid reimbursement rates fell too far below what it cost to deliver quality care. It wasn't a decision we made lightly — but I refuse to cut corners on the people providing hands-on care to vulnerable seniors.

We remain listed in the AgeWays resource directory. And we continue to receive referrals from their care coordinators each year — a testament to the relationships we built during that partnership. The full story is in Why We Stopped Accepting Medicaid in 2019.

In 2007, Affordable Home Care received the Service and Leadership Award from Area Agency on Aging 1-B — a recognition of our commitment to serving the aging community in Southeast Michigan. That award sits in our office as a reminder of what this work is really about.

Why I Do This

Every week, I talk to families who are scared, overwhelmed, and unsure where to turn. Many of them apologize for calling, as if asking for help is a burden. It isn't. It's the reason we exist. When I pick up the phone and hear a daughter say "my mom just fell" or a husband say "I can't do this alone anymore," I don't hear a sales lead. I hear a family that needs what we've been doing for over 35 years.

Southeast Michigan is my home. These are my neighbors. And this work — connecting families with caregivers who genuinely care — is what I was built to do.

Read more from Austin: What 20 Years in SE Michigan Home Care Has Taught Me →

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