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About Us
GateWatchers is a locally owned, non-medical companion care company dedicated to “watching over the ones you love” in Union and Mecklenburg Counties, North Carolina.
We partner with families to help clients remain safely in their homes as long as possible by providing dependable support, meaningful companionship, and personalized daily assistance.
Our approach focuses on safety, consistency and quality of life--so clients feel supported and engaged, and caregivers gain peace of mind knowing that their loved one is cared for with respect and dignity.
Our Services Include
In-Home Care
Companion Care
Companion Care
We offer reliable, non-medical support that helps clients remain safely and comfortably in their own homes. Our trained companion care specialists provide assistance with daily routines and light household tasks, helping them maintain independence while giving families peace of mind with consistent, trusted care at home.
Companion Care
Companion Care
Companion Care
We focus on connection, engagement, and emotional well-being. Our trained companion care specialists provide non-medical support through conversation, shared activities, and transportation when needed. We also assist with grocery shopping, meal planning, and light housekeeping, all while offering a caring presence that helps reduce loneliness. This approach keeps clients active, engaged, and connected to the world around them.
Respite Care
Companion Care
Respite Care
We provide family caregivers the opportunity to rest, recharge, and attend to their own needs. Whether for a few hours or longer periods, our non-medical respite services step in to ensure that caregivers can take time away, knowing their loved one is safe, supported, and well cared for.
Founder Bios
President/Owner
Michael Gates is the President of GateWatchers. With a background that blends psychology, caregiving, community leadership, and technology, Gates brings a deeply personal and holistic approach to senior care.
A Christ follower since 1979, he credits his faith with sustaining him while he cared for a wife with a terminal illness, raised a child with a disability and mourned one taken by fentanyl. One of his favorite scriptures is “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9). He is married to Debbie, his life teammate and best blessing.
Gates earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UNC Charlotte, including coursework in the Psychology of Aging. He has extensive hands-on caregiving experience, having worked as a home companion for seniors and adults with disabilities, as well as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Psychiatric Technician--supporting adolescents and adults through their healing journeys.
He has long served as a community catalyst, equipping nonprofits to better reach and support individuals affected by disabilities. He has led trainings and provided resources to more than 50 churches and organizations, ultimately impacting thousands of families.
While at UNC Charlotte, Gates served as Features Editor of the award-winning Etc. magazine, where he recruited and led a multidisciplinary team of writers and designers. During his tenure, he was twice named Most Valuable Staff Member. He also founded and published The TexTrader, an innovative classifieds-style publication that enabled students to buy and sell used textbooks directly.
Together, Gates’ professional experience and personal commitment reflect a mission-driven dedication to dignity, connection, and compassionate care.
Vice President/Owner
Debbie Gates is the Vice President and Founder of GateWatchers. With more than a decade of leadership experience in nonprofit and community care, Debbie brings a deep understanding of people, families, and the importance of creating safe, supportive environments where individuals can thrive.
In 2013, Debbie founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women heal from trauma and abuse. Through that work, she led small groups, mentored women from diverse backgrounds, and walked alongside many on their journey toward restoration and renewed purpose. These expereinces continue to shape her people-first approach and her commitment to dignity, trust, and meaningful connection in every aspect of GateWatchers' Care.
Debbie is an ordained minister and worship leader with a lifelong passion for encouragement, prayer, and service. She is married to her husband Mike, the proud mother of three adult children, and bonus mom to a daughter and "Coco" to a beautiful granddaughter.
Director/Founder
Thomas Gates has been a nurse for 30+ years. He graduated from Presbyterian School of Nursing in 1995 and began in the emergency department. He stayed there 12 years before he started working in behavioral health in 2002.
Tom graduated with his Masters in Nursing and Business Administration in 2012 from the University of Phoenix online program. He started teaching as an adjunct nursing instructor in 2018, primarily Medical Surgical, and worked between the emergency and behavior health specialities till 2020.
That year, Tom moved into education and worked with the Specialty Training Apprenticeship for Registered Nurses (STARN) training program developed by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). He traveled around the country, transitioning recently graduated nurses hired by HCA into the hospital setting.
Currently, Tom works as the behavioral health clinical and professional development educator for the Charleston Market located at the new Trident Behavioral Hospital, Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness in Charleston; SC. He is also pursuing his Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with Walden University. Receiving his Doctor of Nursing Practice has been a lifetime pursuit and will be his highest achievement in the nursing profession.
His passion to provide awareness, improved access and treatment for people with mental illness led him to reach further and obtain his Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner License.
