Since 1984, Preferred Care at Home has been a beacon of hope for families seeking reliable and affordable care. It all started with a vision to offer a quality of service that would allow seniors to age in place with dignity and grace. Recognizing the need for compassionate caregivers who could provide assistance without breaking the bank, our founders established the first agency with a commitment to excellence that continues to drive us today.
In 2007, recognizing that the need for quality senior care was not limited to one community, Preferred Care at Home began its nationwide expansion. This growth allowed us to bring our unique philosophy of care to families across the country. By partnering with like-minded individuals who shared our passion for service, we were able to extend our reach while maintaining the personal touch that defined our very first agency.
Today, Preferred Care at Home stands as a testament to the enduring power of compassionate care. We remain dedicated to our founding principles, constantly innovating to meet the evolving needs of our clients. As we look to the future, our mission remains unchanged: to improve the quality of life for those we serve, safeguarding their independence and dignity in the home they love.
“For many older people, home is everything. It’s a window to the past, a safe haven for the present and the legacy they long to leave for the next generation.
Since 1984, the husband-and-wife founders of Preferred Care at Home have been helping seniors stay in their homes, happily and safely. Now a nationally franchised but still family-run business, Preferred Care at Home offers high-quality in-home care at affordable rates.”
When you are trying to find someone you can truly trust to care for your loved one, you deserve more than a name on a website. You deserve someone who picks up the phone, listens to what your family is going through, and helps you find the right answer.
That is exactly why Michael opened Preferred Care at Home of Apex, Garner, and Fuquay-Varina. As a Certified Senior Advisor, he knows how overwhelming it can feel to navigate care options alone. He built this location to be the guide he wishes more families had: someone in your corner from the very first call.
Michael lives and works right here in South Wake County. When you reach out, you are not calling a corporate call center. You are calling a neighbor who genuinely cares about getting this right for your family. We promise to be by your side, every step of the way.
Preferred Care at Home has continued this tradition by only referring the most reliable, compassionate, experienced, and affordable caregivers to client’s homes or care facilities.
We serve Apex, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, and Holly Springs, along with surrounding communities including Clayton, Angier, Sanford, and Lillington. Within Apex, we cover neighborhoods from the historic downtown district to newer developments along the western edges of Wake County. Whether your loved one lives in a quiet Garner neighborhood, a growing Holly Springs community, or a more rural area of Johnston County, we are here to help.
Everything from companionship and conversation to hands-on assistance with bathing, dressing, and grooming. Caregivers help with meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, and transportation to appointments. We build care plans around each individual’s needs, from light help with errands a few hours a week to comprehensive daily support.
While most of our clients are seniors, we also serve younger adults with disabilities and people recovering from surgery who need support living independently at home. Age is not the determining factor. Need is what matters.
We provide care wherever someone lives. Many Triangle families bring us into assisted living communities to provide extra personal attention beyond what the facility offers. We go where you need us, whether that is a private home, retirement community, or assisted living residence.
Hospital-to-home transitions are among our most important services here in the Apex area. Coming home after a stay at WakeMed, Rex Hospital, Duke Regional, or any area facility can be completely overwhelming. Medications, follow-up appointments, rehabilitation exercises, diet changes. Our transition care program guides recovery and helps prevent the kind of readmission that sends so many elderly people back through those hospital doors. We make that transition smoother, step by step. Learn more about our Smooth-Transition Care program.
Costs depend on how many hours of care you need and what type of care makes sense. We start with clear, affordable rates and no long-term commitments. We will walk you through pricing so you can plan without surprises. Here is helpful information about paying for home care.
Medicare typically does not cover non-medical home care like companionship, homemaker services, or personal care assistance. It may cover skilled nursing if a physician orders it after a qualifying hospital stay. We will help you understand what Medicare does and does not pay for so you can explore your options clearly.
Yes. We are experienced navigating long-term care insurance policies and can assist your family through the claims process. Dealing with an insurance policy in the middle of a care crisis is stressful and confusing. We help you understand your coverage, work through the elimination period on most plans, and file on your family’s behalf. Call us at (984) 246-8900 and we will walk through it with you.
The Triangle and surrounding counties are home to a significant military community, including many veterans and families connected to Fort Liberty. VA benefits can cover a meaningful portion of home care costs, and Aid and Attendance benefits offer additional financial support for qualifying veterans and their surviving spouses. We know this process well and will help your family navigate it. Learn about Aid and Attendance benefits here.
Yes. Wake County Human Services and the Triangle J Area Agency on Aging connect families with local resources including meal delivery programs, transportation assistance, and senior center programming. Johnston County also offers support services for residents in Clayton, Angier, and surrounding communities. Explore free services for seniors to discover what may be available in your area. These programs can work alongside the care we provide.
We only refer caregivers with real, verified experience. Every caregiver goes through our rigorous 7-step screening process that includes background checks, reference verification, skills assessment, and personality evaluation. We do not place anyone in your loved one’s home that we would not trust in our own. Our commitment to quality starts before the first day of care.
The same caregiver. We match based on personality and care needs, then maintain that relationship. Consistency builds trust and genuine connection. Your loved one will not face a rotating door of strangers. If your regular caregiver needs a day off, we arrange qualified backup, but constant turnover is simply not how we work.
Tell us immediately. We will find someone different. Personal chemistry matters enormously, especially when someone is helping with intimate daily tasks. We want your loved one comfortable, respected, and happy with their caregiver.
We provide access to non-medical senior home care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is no minimum hours requirement. We work around your schedule, not the other way around.
Yes. Alzheimer’s and dementia care is a specialty for us. Our caregivers are trained to communicate with compassion when memory fails, to create calm and familiar environments, and to maintain dignity as abilities change. Families in Apex, Garner, and Fuquay-Varina facing a dementia diagnosis trust us with their most vulnerable loved ones, and we treat that trust with the utmost care. Learn more about our dementia and Alzheimer’s care.
We provide compassionate support during life’s final chapter, working alongside hospice providers to help clients remain comfortable and cared for at home. We help with personal care, offer companionship, and give exhausted family members the respite they need. These are precious moments. We treat them with deep respect. Learn more about our end-of-life care services.
Absolutely. With the Triangle’s strong military heritage and proximity to Fort Liberty, we take veteran care seriously. VA benefits can help cover home care costs, and we are familiar with the documentation and coordination required to use them. If your family member is a veteran seeking home care, call us at (984) 246-8900 and we will help you understand your options right away.
Contact us by phone at (984) 246-8900 or by email at Murphy@preferhome.com. We will talk through your situation and schedule a complimentary in-home consultation at your convenience. There is no obligation. We will assess needs, answer questions, and explain clearly how we work. Think of it as getting acquainted before making any decisions.
We sit down together and talk through daily routines, current challenges, and goals for care. We explain our services and pricing clearly and answer every question you have. The conversation usually takes about an hour and is relaxed and informative. We are not there to pressure you. We are there to help you think through what is best.
Usually within days. When families reach out, they often need help soon. We understand urgency and move as quickly as possible to get the right caregiver matched and in place.
No long-term commitments. We believe you should stay with us because the care is exceptional, not because paperwork locks you in. Needs change, and we stay flexible every step of the way.
We adjust the plan. Maybe you start with a few hours of weekly companionship and later need daily personal care. Maybe intensive transition support is needed right after a hospital discharge and then scales back as recovery progresses. We adapt as situations evolve. Take this quiz if you are unsure what level of care makes sense right now.
Pride runs deep, and the fear of losing independence is powerful. Sometimes starting gently helps, introducing a caregiver through homemaker help or errands before moving to personal care. Once trust builds, acceptance often follows. Our caregivers know how to earn that trust without undermining dignity. These fall prevention strategies may also help you start a conversation about safety without making it feel like an argument about independence.
Many adult children live across the Triangle, in other states, or far from Wake and Johnston counties while their parents remain here. We use an online portal called the Family Room where you can access caregiver schedules, visit confirmations, daily notes, and updates from anywhere in the world. Complete transparency is part of our commitment to keeping families connected and at peace. Learn about our Transparency of Care technology.
We plan ahead for it. The greater Apex area presents real seasonal challenges for elderly people. Summers here bring intense heat and high humidity that raise the risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion, particularly for seniors who may not feel thirsty or who have difficulty managing air conditioning. Hurricane season is a genuine concern for residents of Wake and Johnston counties, especially elderly people who may need help preparing an emergency supply kit, evacuating safely, or managing medications and medical equipment during extended power outages. Winter weather, while less frequent than in other parts of North Carolina, still brings ice storms and unexpected cold snaps that make getting to appointments and moving safely around the home difficult. Our caregivers help families prepare for seasonal changes, including maintaining proper hydration, monitoring heating and cooling systems, stocking emergency supplies, and adjusting appointment schedules during severe weather. Learn more about disaster preparation for seniors.
We are a third-generation home care company with a proud history going back to 1984, founded by a registered nurse who believed that older people simply wanted to stay home rather than move into nursing facilities. Here in Apex, owner Michael Murphy, CSA, brings both professional expertise and genuine personal commitment to every family he serves. As a Certified Senior Advisor, he understands the decisions families face and is here to help guide them clearly and compassionately.
We only refer caregivers with verified experience. We are familiar with veteran benefits and long-term care insurance. And we treat every client as if they were our own family, because that is exactly how this company was built.
It means we believe home is everything to a senior. It is a window to their past, a safe haven for the present, and a legacy for the future. Our mission since 1984 has been to give elderly people the option to remain in their homes with dignity and independence intact. That is what drives us every day here in Apex and throughout the communities we serve.
