Business Spotlight: Preferred Home Health Care

Preferred Home Health Care is a family-owned local business whose main focus is providing the care families need through a wide range of services.

Preferred was started by Joel Markel, current president of the company. Markel’s sister was diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 39. At the same time, Markel’s own son was diagnosed with serious health problems. He took in his sister and her two sons and began to search for committed caregivers that would tend to the family's needs.

“Our personal story did not have a happy ending. My sister and son passed away within months of each other,” Markel said. “But it was this experience that made me realize the importance of obtaining quality home health care.”

Preferred opened in 1993, providing both non-medical and medical nursing care. Today Preferred covers the entire state of New Jersey, with offices from Hackensack to Galloway, as well as two offices in Pennsylvania.

“He (Markel) saw that he could do things a little bit better when nurses were coming into his home to take care of his son," Galloway Office Administrator Craig Hoffer said. "He went out, sold his other business and started a home health care business."

Preferred offers a range of services provided by registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified home health aides, certified nursing assistants and 24 hour live ins/aides.

They offer non-medical services like meal preparation, assistance with daily activities, light housekeeping and medication reminders. They also offer nursing services for pediatric and adult clients, such as ventilator care, infectious diseases, wound care and dressing changes, respite/hospice care and care of the traumatic brain injured clients.

“We offer services from three months old all the way up to helping grandma get to her appointments and doctors, and getting showered in the morning,” Hoffer said. “Anytime these families in need need something, we are told ‘Sure, go ahead and do it.’ Some of our competition won't allow nurses to work overtime, or go to the hospital with the clients; he tells us that whatever makes families happy and keeps their kid in the best situation, to go for it.”

Preferred staff also goes out into the community to volunteer with local charities. According to Hoffer, the staff is given paid days to take off of work and help out locally where they would like. They volunteer everywhere from a homeless initiative in PA, to children’s hospitals here.

Preferred has seven offices located in New Jersey: Brick, Eatontown, Galloway, Hackensack, Mount Laurel, North Brunswick and South Orange. They also have two offices in PA, in Bala Cynwyd and Bensalem.

For more information, visit www.preferredcares.com or call 1-800-603-2273.