Is Mail Piling Up for Your Elderly Parent?

mail and paperwork for elderly adults

Losing control of mail piles is a common problem for adults at any age. Aren’t we all too busy to go through every envelope each day? With the availability of paperless statements, it becomes even easier to assume that everything still coming by snail mail is simply clutter to be sorted and recycled.

While this is typically a nuisance for most adults, overwhelming mail and paper piles can be a source of real trouble for the elderly. Individuals in their eighties and nineties are more likely to still receive newspapers, letters, and paper bills. All of that incoming mail can get out of control. If too much paperwork accumulates in the same spot, other important documents quickly get lost in the piles.

Dangers of Disorganization for Elderly Adults

When mail goes unmanaged for long periods of time, the piles can easily become overwhelming. The thought of going through so much mail may be exhausting. Several things can happen when seniors are dealing with too much mail:

  • Letters and cards from real friends and relatives get lost, which costs seniors precious opportunities to stay connected.
  • Bills that are not paperless get lost and go unpaid.
  • Haphazard sorting results in signing up and paying for unneeded services – even scams.
  • Important documents go unnoticed and do not get properly filed.

Mail Management and Recordkeeping Best Practices for Aging Adults

The bad news is that going through every envelope and newspaper in the current overflowing piles of mail is a long and tedious process. The good news is that once it’s done, seniors are likely to let the sense of accomplishment motivate them to maintain a filing system. It’s crucial to get that system into place immediately while momentum is high.

Apply these best practices as a caregiver to help your elderly parents get control of their mail and keep it organized:

  • Slow the flow of incoming mail by unsubscribing from catalogues and other junk mail lists.
  • Choose a time each week dedicated to sorting through the mail and designate a holding container where everything goes until that day. On sorting day, each piece of mail has one of three options: take action, recycle, or shred.
  • Separate bulky magazines and newspapers from other mail right away and store in a container that’s easy to access and small enough to force regular purging.
  • Use a file organizer to hold bills, checkbooks, pens, stamps, and envelopes so that bill paying is simple and systematic.
  • Set up online bill paying for as many services as possible to reduce incoming paper.

If mail has become a struggle for your aging parent, Simplify Senior Living can help with our senior homecare services. Our caregivers are skilled at helping seniors sort through their growing piles of mail without stress. They are in control of what to toss and what to keep so that the process is manageable and worth maintaining. Contact us today to find out how we can help your aging parent get their paperwork and mail under control. 

Want to know more about Simplify Senior Living?

Simplify Senior Living LLC is a concierge home help service in Pennsylvania dedicated to providing senior home care that puts quality of life first.  An advocate for seniors and a Certified Senior Advisor experienced in family counseling and life coaching, Simplify Senior Living’s Loretta Shacklett provides emotional support and companionship to clients that prioritizes quality of life while supporting families requiring caregiving services.  We offer daily, weekly, or monthly care packages, providing Home, Lifestyle, and Companionship services.  We serve Montgomery County, the Main Line, Chestnut Hill, and the surrounding areas.