How assisted living staff can help residents check suspicious mail

Q: Is Postal Buddy free for residents?

Postal Buddy says the older person's side is free forever. The paid Plus tier costs $9.99 a month or $79 a year, with a 30-day Plus trial and no card needed when the first helper joins. Plus adds a Monday email on what needs doing, what was caught and what changed.

Q: Can Postal Buddy check a suspicious letter without an account?

Yes, its web scam check is free and needs no account. It tells you what looks wrong with a letter and says nothing is kept. Staff should still confirm any payment request directly with the sender, because a check can point out warning signs without proving that a letter is genuine.

Staff can help residents sort mail, set aside suspicious letters and check senders before paying, with a few steps and tools that fit the job.

By CleverDings · 2026-10-26

CleverDings is published by the makers of Benefit Buddy, Postal Buddy and Packing Buddy, which are compared here alongside other apps.

Sort incoming mail, set aside anything unfamiliar, and check the sender using a phone number from a past statement before any payment is made. A tool such as Postal Buddy can explain a letter in big print and out loud, but the resident and staff still decide what to do. ^[1]

Option	What it does	Cost
Postal Buddy	Tells an older person, in big print and out loud, what each letter is, from a photo. ^[1]	Free for the older person; Plus costs $9.99 a month or $79 a year, with a 30-day Plus trial and no card needed when the first helper joins. ^[1]
Family member or trusted helper	Not published here; ask the resident who they want to read letters with them.	Not published
Facility front desk or mail room	Not published here; check your facility's policy on opening resident mail.	Not published
The sender's phone line	Not published here; use the number from a past statement, not the one printed in the letter.	Not published

What you need before you start

Most of the work is getting the basics in place before a letter arrives. Staff who have these ready can help a resident faster, with fewer back and forth questions.

Confirm the resident's permission for whatever help you plan to give, and confirm who in the building handles incoming mail. Ask the resident who they want told about a suspicious letter. Keep a short list of the resident's regular senders, such as their bank, pharmacy, insurer and utility, with the phone numbers printed on past statements, so each new letter can be checked against it.

Have a plain, consistent place to set aside letters that look unusual, so nothing is opened, thrown out or paid in a hurry. Know which family member or trusted helper the resident has named as a contact.

Do not write full account numbers or Social Security numbers into notes. Keep account numbers and Social Security numbers with the resident's own records.

Step by step

Sort the mail on arrival. Set aside anything with a sender you do not recognize, a due date that feels rushed, a prize notice, a government name, or a request for money or personal details.
Compare the sender with the resident's list. Use the phone number from a past statement, not the number printed in the letter itself.
Read the letter with the resident, slowly. Ask what they think it is for and whether they were expecting it.
Check any payment request directly with the sender before anything is paid.
Do not send money, gift cards or personal details because of a letter alone, even when the letter says it is urgent.
Write a short note about the letter: the date, the sender's name, what it asks for, what was checked, and by whom.
If anything looks like a scam, tell the resident's contact the same day. Report it to the company or agency the letter names, if there is one.
Keep the letter in the set-aside place until the resident decides what to do with it.
Review the sender list with the resident every few months, and add or remove names as their accounts change.

Tools that can do it

Several kinds of help fit this job. Pick based on how much reading the resident can do alone and whether a person needs to be in the room.

Postal Buddy. Postal Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site. It is an app that tells an older person, in big print and out loud, what each letter they photograph is. ^[1] You take a photo of each letter you get, and Postal Buddy tells you, in big print and out loud, what it is. ^[1] The app can read its explanation of a letter out loud. ^[1] For a bill, it shows the sender, the amount and the due date. ^[1] For a suspected scam, it says not to pay or call the number on it, and it never calls a letter safe. ^[1] Its web scam check is free and needs no account, and it says nothing is kept. ^[1] The older person does not have to sign in, and family helpers sign in. ^[1] You can try a demo with a made-up family without an account. ^[1] The app is made for phones and the web. ^[1] A web app is listed, but the Postal Buddy website says 'Opening soon'. ^[1]

Family member or trusted helper. Not published here. Ask the resident who they want to read letters with them, and agree on what they should do when a letter looks wrong.

Facility front desk or mail room. Not published here. Check your facility's policy on opening resident mail before offering any help with it.

The sender's phone line. Not published here. Use the number from a past statement, not the one printed in a letter, and ask the sender to confirm anything before payment.

Common mistakes to avoid

Opening a letter before checking it. Set unfamiliar letters aside first, so nothing is paid or answered in a rush.
Trusting the phone number in the letter. Scam letters often print a number that leads to the scammer. Use a number from a past statement.
Paying under time pressure. Urgent deadlines are a common feature of scam letters. A real sender will still accept a short delay while you check.
Treating an official look as proof. Letters can copy logos and formatting, so check the sender rather than the design.
Leaving the resident out. The resident decides what happens to their money and their mail, and they often know details staff do not.
Not keeping notes. Write down dates, names and what was checked, so the next person can follow the same steps.

Frequently asked questions

How can assisted living staff help a resident check suspicious mail?

Start by sorting incoming mail and setting aside anything unfamiliar, a rushed due date, or a request for money. Compare the sender with a list of the resident's regular senders, using phone numbers from past statements. Read the letter with the resident, check any payment request directly with the sender, and keep a short written note of what was done. Staff should support the resident's decisions rather than make them.

Can Postal Buddy tell a resident what a letter is?

Yes. A resident takes a photo of a letter, and Postal Buddy tells them in big print and out loud what it is. ^[1] For a bill, it shows the sender, the amount and the due date. ^[1] For a suspected scam, it says not to pay or call the number on the letter. ^[1] It never calls a letter safe, so the resident should still check with the sender before paying anything.

Does a resident need to sign in to use Postal Buddy?

No. The older person does not have to sign in, and family helpers sign in. ^[1] You can also try a demo with a made-up family without an account. ^[1] Staff who want to see how the app explains a letter can use the demo before deciding whether it suits a resident.

Is Postal Buddy free for residents?

Postal Buddy says the older person's side is free forever. ^[1] The paid Plus tier costs $9.99 a month or $79 a year, with a 30-day Plus trial and no card needed when the first helper joins. ^[1] Plus adds a Monday email on what needs doing, what was caught and what changed. ^[1]

Can Postal Buddy check a suspicious letter without an account?

Yes, its web scam check is free and needs no account. ^[1] It tells you what looks wrong with a letter and says nothing is kept. Staff should still confirm any payment request directly with the sender, because a check can point out warning signs without proving that a letter is genuine.

Postal Buddy says the senior's side is free forever; Plus costs $9.99 a month or $79 a year, with a 30-day Plus trial and no card needed when the first helper joins. ^[1]

Try Postal Buddy

Sources

Postal Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)