These days, people scuttle outside after a delivery is made, and most often it’s to pick up a package left on the front porch, not to find a letter from a friend or relative in the mailbox. Senior citizens, though, remember the days before Amazon Prime, when they rushed to their mailboxes after the mailman made his delivery. They can recall how special it was to receive a handwritten letter. After all, letters—as well as phone calls—were the only way to communicate for most of their lives. We at Homeplace want to rekindle that feeling within our residents. That’s why we will have a system in place to receive and send mail, as well as to encourage letter writing.
All residents will have a mailbox outside of his or her apartment to which a staff member will deliver mail each day. The mail, which includes not only letters but also packages from FedEx, UPS, and the USPS, will all come to a general delivery area. From there, our staff sorts and hand-delivers to each private apartment that has a mailbox located outside their entry door. If a resident, however, prefers we give it directly to her, we will do that. If a resident is not home, we will re-attempt later to ensure she is given the package in person.
We’re a bit more cautious with our memory care residents. During the admission process, we discuss with the resident and family the preferred way to handle mail delivery. If all parties agree, we will deliver that mail directly to the resident and place it in the memory-care resident’s mailbox or give it directly to the resident. In some cases, families may only allow their loved ones church or community groups to deliver bulletins/newsletters, because that want to alleviate any stress on their loved one, because mail can cause worry if they are unable to be directly involved in their finances, etc. any longer.
Homeplace can also assist with change of address requests. During the admission process, we will have a change of address request from provided by USPS and will provide this to the family as a way to help during this transition period.
Homeplace also has a drop box on site where residents can leave their letters for the mail carrier to pick up. This will be easily seen and we ensure that residents know that it is available. Additionally, our on-site store sells postage stamps.
A final piece of our letter initiative is to encourage residents to write letters. Not only is it a way to communicate and express themselves, it also helps residents keep their minds sharp. We encourage residents to write to whomever they please. But we also will soon start a pen pal program that will pair residents with students in the local school systems. We know that receiving—and writing—these letters will bring smiles to both generations.
To contact the Homeplace of Henderson, email Jessica Beaven at jessica.beaven@homeplaceofhenderson.com or call at (270) 577-0534.