Preferred Care at Home was founded in 1984 by Lois Whitesell, a registered nurse, along with her daughter Jody Guerrieri and son-in-law Frank Guerrieri, in response to something they saw clearly: older people simply wanted to stay home. Read the story of how it all began.
What started as a small operation in central Florida has grown into a national franchise now serving families across 18 states. But it has never stopped feeling like a family business. The founders are still actively involved, now alongside the third generation of their family working in home care.
Preferred Care at Home of South Miami is individually owned and operated. Every decision is made locally, by Natalie and Ricky, for the families of this community.
In Coral Gables and the neighborhoods around it, families watch a parent slow down after decades in the same house, the same yard, the same routine of coffee on the porch. Moving away from that life feels like losing more than a house. There is another way to stay, and that is why Preferred Care at Home of South Miami is here.
Natalie Caldwell and Ricky Greene, a brother-sister team, built this office on a simple belief: this is our family serving your family. That means knowing the person in the care plan, not just the plan itself. It means being available, being honest, and showing up the way you’d want someone to show up for someone you love.
Driven by Passion, Committed to Compassion
Natalie came to home care as a Registered Nurse with years in emergency medicine across South Florida. Working in the emergency department, she watched elderly people discharge from a hospital or skilled nursing facility and return within months, often because the right support simply wasn’t in place at home. That experience, and the outcomes she saw that didn’t have to happen, are why she is here.
She earned her Master of Science in Nursing and became a Family Nurse Practitioner, a credential that shapes how care plans are built at this office: around the whole person, not just the task list. Natalie’s role is overseeing client services and the quality of every care plan we develop. The clinical eye she brings makes a measurable difference, even in non-medical care.
Ricky Greene grew up in a Cuban-American household watching his mother provide full-time, unpaid care for his grandparents. She gave that care because that was how their family showed up for each other. Ricky built his career in long-term care operations because he wanted every family to have access to that level of care, not just the ones with someone who can give up everything to provide it.
His focus at this office is the caregiver side of the business: the hiring, the matching, and the oversight that determines whether the care actually works. When a family calls to say the caregiver feels like part of their household, that is the outcome Ricky works toward every day.
Brian Caldwell is Vice President of Operations. He runs the day-to-day side of the office: scheduling, caregiver coverage, and the systems that make sure the right caregiver reaches the right home at the right time.
Families rarely see the operational side of home care, but they feel it. Brian’s focus is on the details that make care dependable week after week, from consistent scheduling to the communication that keeps out-of-town family members in the loop.
When you reach out to us, the first step is a free consultation to understand what your family needs. We then assess the situation, build a personalized care plan, and identify caregivers whose personality and life experience fit your loved one. Every caregiver has passed our 7-step screening process before you ever meet them.
Before care begins, we offer something most agencies don’t. You can meet two or three prospective caregivers, for about 15 minutes each, at no cost. You choose who starts.
Our caregivers serve clients in English and Spanish, and each one is matched by personality, not just availability. If the match isn’t right, we find another. That commitment to consistency is how we build care relationships that last.
We accept all major long-term care insurance providers, including John Hancock, MetLife, CNA, and UNUM, as well as private pay. Services are available from a 4-5 hour minimum up to 24-hour care for seniors who need around-the-clock support at home. Once care begins, our Transparency Room portal gives authorized family members real-time access to schedules, daily notes, and visit confirmations from anywhere.
Preferred Care at Home of South Miami holds Florida AHCA license HHA #299995233, issued by the Agency for Health Care Administration. This Home Health Agency license confirms that we meet Florida’s standards for operating as a home care organization in Miami-Dade County. Every caregiver we refer meets Florida’s requirements for registration and background checks.
Preferred Care at Home of South Miami proudly serves families throughout Miami-Dade County, including:
Not sure if your community is covered? Call us at (786) 268-6706 and we will let you know.
