5 Tips to Help Manage a Senior’s Mail

So much of the mail we get nowadays comes electronically. However, many seniors still get a large chunk of mail via “snail mail,” through the U.S. Postal Service. For elderly loved ones who may have slowing cognitive skills, managing mail can become a challenge. Important documents or bills may get lost or not get paid at all. The lure of junk mail with too-good-to-be-true offers may prompt your loved one to unnecessarily respond. Catalogs may lead your loved one to spend money he or she just doesn’t have.

To help avoid these problems, we share here some tips to help for better snail mail management.

1. Cancel, cancel, cancel. Get your loved one’s name off of mailing lists for unneeded catalogs or other promotions. Make a pile of mail they just don’t need, and make it a habit to call or email any companies in that pile once a month. As a bonus, you’ll help save the environment by cutting down on waste.

2. Opt for paperless bills and online bill pay. Provided that you check your email regularly and you’re diligent about paying bills on time, paperless bills and online bill pay can be a great way to cut down on your loved one’s mail clutter.

3. Start a system. Have a system of folders so you can divide your loved one’s mail according to bills/take action, recycle, and shred. Anything that has personal identifying information about your loved one can go in the shred pile. Recycling can be junk mail—but remember to follow tip 1 about starting a pile of mail that you want to get off the mailing list. Mail in the “Bills and take action” category should be handled quickly on behalf of your loved one.

4. Set aside a certain time each day or week to go through your loved one’s mail. It’s tempting to sort the mail every time you see a random envelope or catalog at your loved one’s home, but that’s not always the best time to decide how to handle his or her mail. It may even distract you. Instead, set aside a certain time each week (or daily, if you’re making daily visits) to sort through the mail and to separate it into the right category.

5. Call Secure Aging for help. If mail management for your elderly loved one becomes too overwhelming, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Secure Aging is ready to help and in fact, mail management is one of the main tasks that we handle. Having Secure Aging to handle mail management also is helpful if you live out of town and can’t see your loved one (or their mail) regularly. Call today to find out how we can help with your loved one’s mail management.

Call Secure Aging to Help Your Older Loved One Lead a Better Life

At Secure Aging in Bradenton, we transform the weight of the world into a sigh of relief for our senior clients and their concerned family members. We can help your older loved one not fall prey to the financial scams and help them obtain better care. The mission of Secure Aging is to protect and preserve our client’s independence and dignity through careful and thoughtful financial and care management. As our clients age, it is their desire to remain independent and age with dignity. Our services protect our clients from talented con artists looking to exploit and deplete the financial resources of our vulnerable seniors. Secure Aging helps families in Manatee County and Sarasota County and in and around the communities of Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Ellenton, Holmes Beach, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Myakka City, Palmetto, Parrish, and Sarasota. Call us at 941-761-9338, or visit us online at www.secureaging.com.

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