If you are looking to help the Senior in your life with mail management, look no further! We are diving into how to make mail management more sustainable and less overwhelming in this blog post. It’s impossible to stop all of it, but you can cut it back quite a bit. Our blog shows you how to stop junk mail.
Set Up a Mail Management System
You can’t be there to go through the mail every day. So give them a system to sort and file the mail between visits. Have a place for outgoing items and a way for them to sort incoming mail into categories such as financial, personal, and questionable items like sweepstakes, etc. Have a file specifically for tax documents.
Put Mail All in One Place
The sorting system, with supplies such as stamps, envelopes, and address labels, should all be in one easily-accessible place. A small desk or one end of a bureau, for example. Having it all in one place makes it less likely that older adults will get confused and more likely they’ll use the system once you’ve set it up.
Switch to Auto-Pay Where Possible
So many places offer online and automatic payments to simplify paying bills. By setting these up, you can manage their finances from anywhere you are and significantly reduce the amount of mail coming in.
Verify New System Use
Even after they’ve agreed to use this new system, they may have trouble remembering at first. Verify they’re using it each time you visit. If they start to slip after using it successfully, it may be a sign that something else, such as arthritis, vision, or cognitive decline, is causing the system to fail.
Help by Checking In
Talk about what charities, if any, they want to support. Let them know they can ask you about the mail they’re confused about. It is critical that you find a solution before you or those you care about run into trouble owing to missed payments, unpaid taxes, or other scams.
Are you helping a senior with their mail management? How is it going for you? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll assist with anything you’re struggling with.
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