MONIQUE DAWSON

Dawson and Dawson Home Care, LLC
Providing Quality and Compassionate Care to the Elderly

story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER                  photos by PAUL NURNBERG

In a world where the elderly can be easily forgotten and pushed to the side, one born and raised Beaufortonian is doing her best to ensure that by and large this is not the case for our small town. Monique Dawson is the owner of Dawson and Dawson Home Care, LLC, a business that focuses on providing excellent care to the elderly community, allowing them to thrive in their own homes for as long as possible.

Dawson and Dawson Home Care, LLC, was created out of Monique’s own experiences as a young girl watching her mother care for Monique’s great-grandmother. Not only did she watch as her mother bathed, dressed, and cared for her grandmother, but Monique also helped her mother complete these tasks. Monique was awestruck, with how beautiful it was, that her mother would sacrifice so much of her own time to provide complete and total care for her great-grandmother. That was the beginning of Monique’s journey to build an in-home care business.

Monique went on to receive a dual Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Policy and Advocacy and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Armstrong Atlantic State University, now known as Georgia Southern University. Monique now has “20 plus years of broad experience in public health education, nursing, public health advocacy, public health policy, and public health education” according to her cousin, Nakeisha Dawson Thompson.

In-home care is not the same as your typical home health care experience. In-home care focuses on all the things that can create the biggest amount of stress for those who are no longer able to care for themselves, as well as those who do not have relatives in the area who are able to provide them with the amount of care that they need. Monique and her team provide services such as showering, toileting, bathing, laundry, light housework, and meal prepping. They can also make sure that patients get to any necessary appointments. They step in and fill every need that they are capable of serving.

Monique is not running your average in-home care business, which truly is her passion. She takes great pride in caring for each individual as if they were her family member. What makes Monique’s in-home care business unique is her availability and accessibility 24/7, no matter the circumstances. This is important to Monique because it provides security to the families. She develops a compassionate and personal relationship with each client that ensures no patient is left suffering.

While in-home care is the more traditional method of caring for the elderly (and something that was considered completely normal in the past), in our current society, we often see the use of nursing and retirement facilities. The transition into these facilities can often cause more harm than good for the individual patient.

Monique believes that in-home care creates a safer and better environment for the elderly as they complete their final chapter. Being in their own homes provides them a sense of security as they age. Even for those with Alzheimer’s or dementia, moving them into a completely unfamiliar facility can cause them great distress as they are already struggling with the lack of memories and brain function. Keeping them in their own home will allow them to remain comfortable and feel some sense of control. This also allows their children and grandchildren to visit them in a familiar space, where they know they are being properly cared for by a team that genuinely cares for their loved ones.

For those considering in-home care for their loved one, Monique says that the most important thing she can recommend and the first thing that she does in every case is to sit down with the patient and their family for an assessment. She wants to know as much as possible about her patients: their unique needs, their family history, and everything from daily routines to plans of action in the event of hurricanes, tornadoes, or other natural disasters, etc. These assessments also allow the family to ask any questions about in-home care and what will be covered. They can discuss costs and any additional resources needed, such as home healthcare, including skilled nursing aides, and occupational and physical therapists, all which help facilitate the clients’ care.

While Monique cannot personally handle every case, she is always directly on the front lines and knows each patient’s details. Her team is highly qualified, and she trusts them entirely while still making it her priority to be front and center of Dawson and Dawson Home Care, LLC. Monique finds her job incredibly rewarding — not only is she providing a necessary service, but she also is providing comfort to a group of people who desperately need to feel loved and cared for.

If you have a loved one who needs this level of kind and compassionate in-home care, you can learn more by emailing Monique at info@dawsonhomecare.com or by calling her at
866-632-9766.