About Charlotte

Reviewed on 5/23/2025

An Unvarnished Truth My story with Charlotte began during the days I was my mother’s only caregiver. She was in end stage Alzheimer’s and I was in deep mourning. I was working around the clock alone to care for the person I loved most and I had reached a point of complete exhaustion. Wanting to have strength to be the best daughter I could be, did not actually translate into the strength itself. My cup was empty and I knew it. Deciding to trust my most loved one to the hands of a caregiver was a difficult decision. I was riddled with guilt. It was my sister who helped by reaching out to Care.com in hopes of finding assistance. We were blessed to stumble on Charlotte right away and she came for an interview the same day. It was strange, we were so new to the caregiver experience that we didn’t even know the important questions to ask. Charlotte had plenty of questions for us though…. Luckily we had answers. As a family we decided to hire Charlotte who assured us she would treat my mother as well as she would her own. Handing over the reins of my mother’s care didn’t sit well with me. Out of habit and fear, I couldn’t stop hovering. I didn’t know how to go about living my own life when I had been caring for mom in the daughter role for so long. My fear told me no one could care for my mother the way I could - they way MY LOVE could care for her. The truth is I was wrong. After a few months, Charlotte was family. I watched her care for mom lovingly every single day without fail, without ever calling out - always in a positive, optimistic mood and seemingly boundless energy, even after the longest days. I like to think I learned a lot about myself during the months of my mother’s decline. What I came to appreciate the most was coming to terms with the burden of sorrow. My sadness incapacitated me in almost every aspect, which in turn kept me from being able to give care the way I watched Charlotte give it. Having Charlotte in my everyday life allowed me to grieve and spend quality time with mom - a luxury I didn’t have when I was the caregiver. From day one, Charlotte promised to be at our side to the bitter end of our long journey and she kept her promise. She was the one embracing me, giving me assurance in the toughest hours. A child always wants to feel good about the decisions they make. Now that I am able to reflect on the decisions I made for my mother’s care, I realize no decision was as important as welcoming Charlotte into our home, into our family and circle of trust. I don’t know how I would have gotten by without her allowing me to have time for myself to be the wife I needed to be. This is not so much a letter of reference as it is a letter of gratitude for all the long hours spent caring for my mother as she would her own. - Dawn R. Summerville, SC May 22, 2025.