Mailbox question, looking for ideas/ thoughts...

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G

gdaughter Asked January 2020

Mailbox question, looking for ideas/ thoughts...

We have a home with a mail slot/chute on the outside that goes directly into the house with a little wooden door. Often the mailperson will leave larger pieces like magazines sticking outside. I'm wondering about some kind of lock that would work at least on the inside to keep mom with dementia from getting access to the mail. We have switched 95% of the mail to be delivered to a PO box, but there are a couple exceptions and this week their Social Security statements arrived. Dad's was left alone but mom ripped hers into pieces having gotten her hands on it; Dad retrieved what he could from the trash to patch together. Then tonight I was catching up on newspaper reading and came to discover the property tax statement/bill which was sent 12/23/19 had not been passed on to me, which means mom intercepted it, dad was unaware it even came, and she threw that out as well. It's due the end of the month...

Alzheimer's & Dementia Dementia Behaviors Home Modification

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score 1 · Answer 1

We had a similar situation with my Grandmother. After she tore up her Social Security check, we had SS payments changed to "Direct Deposit" so that the SS checks went directly into her checking account.

You might want to talk to the County Clerk where the property is owned and ask if the property tax statement can be sent to your PO Box or to your house. In some states, the property tax statement cannot be forwarded because the the County Assessor/Clerk is a County/State/Federal "business" and their mail cannot be forwarded by law in some states. Also, some County Clerks will NOT send the property tax statement to another address other the one listed for the owner(s) of the property or to a PO Box; NOR will they resend the property tax statement if it is lost or accidently destroyed.

Since you do not have the property tax statement, you will most likely have to go to the County Clerk in person and pay the property tax at the court house. If you want to find out what the property tax is and the property is in Cleveland, you can contact the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer at this website:
https://fiscalofficer.cuyahogacounty.us/

Hope that this information is helpful.

Helpful Answer (1)

Way ahead of you and while I appreciate the effort, to anyone else reading the responses beware that everything you read is not necessarily true however well-meaning the intent. I am familiar with our local contacts and the website and in fact one can visit the website and print off a duplicate bill, and one can even pay the bill on line. It's all been taken care of already. To others, appreciate the input, there is no need to do a mass forwarding of all their mail so at least they can get a few magazines at the house. I have found something called an Outsmart child latch and will see how that works; if the diversionary button doesn't keep her out of trouble, then when I have a handyman out, we'll just put up a padlock on the little door and be done with it...not nearly as much of a fuss and expense as some have suggested.

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score 0 · Answer 2

Could you just file a change of address form at the P.O., instead of trying to change each one individually?
If not could you use a wall mounted box and seal up the chute?

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score 0 · Answer 3

Thanks, but basically we HAVE already done that. All the important stuff aside from these couple items are sent to the PO BOX.

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score 1 · Answer 4

A Post Office Box is the best secure postal solution. As each item arrives, you change the address to the post office box. And you file a change of address form. As it is the end of the year reporting time, all investment statements will be coming and you want to lock down on those!

We had mthr's mail forwarded (lasts a year in US). Important mail will have something on it like, Forwarding Service Requested, which means that the sender gets a notice of a new address. In the mean time, you change the address on all the mail that is coming. On magazines, you get one issue forwarded before they start going to trash. We were able to round up everything she had - even these giant class action lawsuit filings follow her around!

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score 2 · Answer 5

Because I worked out of town during the week, I installed a large exterior locked mailbox on the side of a rural roadway. The opening is wide enough for magazines and small packages containing books and DVDs; all the mail was always safe and dry when I retrieved it over the weekend.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002RQNMK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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We're in the burbs and that would be kind of expensive and not in line with the community, not to mention it being knocked down by the snow plows etc...

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score 2 · Answer 6

I don't have any good suggestions that haven't already been mentioned, but just wanted to offer my concern and support for the dilemma you raise. You might be able to get an exterior locking mailbox such as those in apartment buildings, but I think then the postal delivery person would need a key to insert mail, unless you can find one that has an opening large enough w/o having to unlock the whole mailbox.

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Yeah, thanks for the support. She is a character...and in spite of the dementia still seems to know what she's doing enough to do damages to who /what she wants to. I know I am so damn lucky compared to what many others are dealing with, but there are days...weeks,...where it just wears you down. Sometimes it seems as if every moment is focused on their needs or issues. Also trying to do this in a less expensive or ugly way..I l'm still thinking a locking device on the inside might be the best..Or my newly generated thought of ramming something partially up the chute to prevent it from coming down.

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score 3 · Answer 7

A couple options. Get an exterior mail box. Or get a cage for the mail to go into inside the house and lock it, so Mum cannot access it.

There are quite a few locking mailboxes on Amazon.

Helpful Answer (3)

Not familiar with this and will check it out...so how does the mail carrier gain access, on these exterior ones?

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score 0 · Answer 8

I have no idea. Maybe have all mail go to a P.O. Box. Could something be attached to where the mail drops that she couldn’t get into?

Can mail be sent to your home or another relative and retrieved or delivered weekly? That’s kind of a pain, though.

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I actually live with them, and they are on my PO Box as I mentioned so most of the mail/bills goes there, and yes it is a drag to get over there 2-3x a week. We have no other relatives in town, and although the property tax bill can be probably changed to a mailing address the social security stuff is going to be a challenge...but you spawned an idea...maybe I can lodge something partially up the chute from the inside that would prevent the mail from coming down and her accessing it. I also remembered after I wrote that I have some kind of travel lock and I've got to find it and see if it might work. Thanks

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Mailbox question, looking for ideas/ thoughts...

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