After Antoine Johnson lost his parents, grandparents and wife, he felt like he was going through the transitions alone.
Navigating the emotions that came with each loss was enough of a challenge, but having to deal with their homes just added onto the burden.
“I had my own transitions in life. … I didn’t really know what to do, how to dispose of things or who could help with it,” Johnson said.
As a franchise owner of Caring Transitions in Riverview, he’s helping people navigate these periods of change.
Caring Transitions is a nationwide company that helps seniors downsize, declutter and relocate. Teams assisted by certified relocation transition specialists can create and execute personalized plans during the transition.
For Johnson, that means taking the guesswork out and providing the coordination and support he didn’t have after losing members of his family.
“I just had no direction, no guidance and didn’t know who to donate what to,” he said.
He said it took him six to eight months to do what should have only taken 15 days.
He wanted to keep or repurpose many of the items he was going through, which is why his Caring Transitions team partners with local organizations to make sure loved ones’ items don’t end up in the landfill.
Johnson opened the Riverview location in August. In the first few months, his favorite part of the job has been hearing stories from family members and seniors.
“Sometimes, just being a listening ear is rewarding because they don’t have many people to talk to at times,” Johnson said.
The most challenging part is helping clients who have dementia or memory loss. He said they’ll pack up a senior’s home one day and come back the next to find their client unpacking.
But his team helps them understand why things are being packed up or moved so they can still feel in control of the process.
Johnson said their services are not only reserved for grieving families, but that his team can also help seniors downsize when moving into a smaller home or assisted living facility.
Sometimes, the job is as simple as helping declutter a house so someone can use a walker or wheelchair.
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