Bathing, dressing, and getting ready for the day can turn into the hardest part of your loved one’s morning. Preferred Care at Home of Coastal Volusia provides personal care services throughout Daytona Beach and the surrounding area. Our caregivers help seniors stay comfortable, safe, and independent at home. Our caregivers assist with the daily needs that matter most, so your family member can keep living life on their own terms.
We’ve been helping families with home care since 1984, and our Coastal Volusia office is owned and operated by Doug and Suzette Gondera. Suzette brings more than 40 years in the medical profession as a registered nurse, and that background shapes how our caregivers approach every visit.
Every caregiver goes through our 7-step screening process, and we match caregivers to clients by personality, not just availability. Consistency matters when someone is helping with private, personal tasks. Families throughout Volusia County get real-time access to care notes and schedules through our Transparency Room. You always know how your loved one is doing.
Our office sits at 250 S Beach Street, Suite 20-E, right in the heart of Daytona Beach. That local presence means Doug and Suzette can visit a home quickly and meet a new client in person. They’re active in the local community. When you call with a request or a concern, you’re reaching people who already know the neighborhoods and resources families rely on.
When bathing, dressing, or personal hygiene becomes difficult, personal care helps your loved one stay comfortable and dignified at home. For older adults in Daytona Beach who want to keep aging in place on their own terms, personal care makes that possible.
Our caregivers assist with everyday tasks like grooming, mobility, toileting, and medication reminders. We build each care plan around what your family member actually needs, and we adjust it as those needs change.
Loneliness is one of the toughest parts of aging alone, especially for seniors who have lost a spouse or watched friends move away. Companion care pairs your loved one with a caregiver who offers real conversation, a trip along the beach, and genuine companionship at home.
When grocery shopping, meal preparation, and light housekeeping pile up, home starts to feel like a burden. Homemaker care handles those daily chores so your family member can focus on comfort instead of cleaning.
For families who want round-the-clock coverage, 24-hour care offers a steady caregiver presence and peace of mind. One caregiver stays in the home, matched by personality, so your loved one is never alone.
Memory loss changes daily life for the whole family. Our dementia and Alzheimer’s care provides trained support for safety, routine, and engagement, right in the home your loved one already knows.
A hospital discharge can be confusing, with prescriptions to fill and appointments to schedule. Our Smooth-Transition Care program sends a trained coach to guide your family through every step back home.
Step 01
You call (386) 674-0046 and reach Doug or Suzette Gondera, your local owners.
Step 02
We visit your home to discuss your loved one’s daily needs, routines, and concerns.
Step 03
We build a personal care plan around your family’s specific situation and budget.
Step 04
We match your loved one with a caregiver based on personality, experience, and background.
Step 05
Your caregiver starts on the agreed date, and you get Transparency Room access for schedules, notes, and updates from day one.
Coastal Volusia’s mix of beachside living, seasonal residents, and a large retirement population create specific personal care challenges for families in the Daytona Beach area.
Challenge
What It Looks Like
How We Help
Large senior population
What It Looks Like
About 156,300 Volusia County residents are 65 or older, roughly 26 percent of the county. Demand for reliable personal care runs high.
How We Help
Our local team keeps a bench of screened caregivers ready, so your family doesn’t sit on a waiting list.
Challenge
Beachside and barrier island homes
What It Looks Like
Homes near Daytona Beach Shores, Ponce Inlet, and Wilbur by the Sea often have stairs, tile floors, and layouts that make bathing and mobility riskier as balance declines.
How We Help
Caregivers assist with safe transfers, bathing, and mobility so a fall doesn’t become the reason for a move.
Challenge
Seasonal population swings
What It Looks Like
Snowbird residents arrive each winter, and busy stretches like Bike Week and Speed Weeks add traffic and strain local services.
How We Help
We plan staffing around seasonal demand, so care starts on schedule even during the busiest months.
Challenge
Adult children living out of state
What It Looks Like
Many Daytona Beach seniors have grown children living in other states, making it hard to monitor daily personal care needs firsthand.
How We Help
Our Transparency Room gives family members visit updates and caregiver notes from anywhere.
Challenge
Inconsistent caregivers at other agencies
What It Looks Like
Missed visits and constant caregiver turnover are common complaints with larger home care companies.
How We Help
Our 7-step screening, personality matching, and local owner involvement keep your caregiver consistent.
Driven by Passion, Committed to Compassion
When you’re 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 your concerns, and offers real guidance.
That’s exactly why Suzette Gondera, RN, and her husband Doug opened this home care company in Daytona Beach. It isn’t some big out-of-state business, it’s a family taking care of neighbors, built around family values, not sales quotas.
Doug and Suzette live and work right here in Daytona Beach, FL. When you call, you’re not reaching a corporate call center. You’re reaching neighbors who care about getting this right for your family, and we promise to be by your side, every step of the way.
We understand the needs of Daytona Beach seniors and families throughout Volusia County, from the barrier island communities to the mainland neighborhoods further inland.
We Serve:
Personal care covers assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, and personal hygiene, along with mobility support, safe transfers, toileting, and medication reminders. Every plan is built around your loved one’s actual daily needs, not a fixed package. As those needs change, we adjust hours and services so your family member gets exactly the right level of support.
Costs vary based on hours and the level of care needed. Local private-pay rates in the Volusia County area typically run in the high 20s to low 30s per hour. For comparison, the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey places the national median for non-medical caregiving at $35 an hour. Each family’s situation is different, so give us a call to discuss a plan that fits your budget.
We’re a family-run business, not a corporate call center. Every caregiver goes through our 7-step screening process and is matched by personality, not just availability. When you call our Coastal Volusia office, you reach Doug or Suzette Gondera directly. Suzette’s 40-plus years as a registered nurse shape how our team approaches every visit.
Most families can begin receiving personal care within days of their first call. We schedule a home visit soon after you reach out, and once we build a care plan, we match a caregiver and start services. Families are often impressed by how quickly help arrives compared to waiting on subsidized county programs.
The same caregiver, in most cases. We match based on personality and daily needs, then work to maintain that relationship over time. Consistency builds trust, especially with personal tasks. If your regular caregiver takes a day off, we arrange qualified backup rather than sending a stranger with no notice.
Medicare does not cover long-term, non-medical personal care unless a skilled medical need is also involved. Many families assume Medicare pays for routine help with bathing, dressing, and hygiene, but it typically does not. Preferred Care at Home helps Volusia County families understand the difference so you can plan with clear expectations.
Watch for skipped showers, wearing the same clothes repeatedly, or a home that’s starting to smell unkept. Other signs include unsteady balance in the bathroom, missed medications, or a spouse quietly taking on tasks they can no longer manage alone. If a husband or adult child is handling everything alone, personal care can lighten that load. It’s often easier to start before a fall or health scare forces the issue. If you’re still unsure, our short quiz on in-home senior care can help you think through the signs.
Preferred Care at Home of Coastal Volusia is licensed as a Florida home care agency, HHA #299995877. Every caregiver completes our 7-step screening process, which includes background checks, skills review, and personality evaluation, on top of state requirements. Many of our caregivers are certified nursing assistants or home health aides with years of hands-on experience.
That’s common, and we build plans around it. Some families start with a few hours a week for bathing and dressing help, then add hours later if needs increase. There’s no obligation to commit to full-time care just to get started.
Call (386) 674-0046 and talk directly with Doug or Suzette Gondera. You don’t need a plan before you call. Many families reach out after a fall, a hospital stay, or simply reaching a breaking point with daily care at home. We’ll listen to your concerns, visit your home, and help you find the right fit for your loved one.
