Sort accumulated advertising after a hospital stay
After a hospital stay, divide the pile before anything else. Leave all provider and insurer mail, and anything else that looks official, for the recipient or their authorized care contact. Only then move on to ordinary advertising.
Two passes through the pile
- First pass: pull out everything from a hospital, doctor, insurer, pharmacy, government office or lawyer, plus anything that mentions a deadline. Put it all in one folder for the recipient and leave it unopened unless they ask you to open it.
- If the recipient cannot deal with that folder yet, ask who they have authorized to do so. Permission to sort mail is not authority over their care or money.
- Second pass: group the clear advertising by sender, because one catalog may have arrived several times.
- Ask the recipient which advertising they want to keep. Their preferences may have changed since before the stay.
- For senders they want to stop, make requests one at a time, at a pace that suits them.
Appeals that look like care letters
A hospital or a related foundation may send fundraising appeals that resemble care letters. If you cannot tell whether an envelope is an appeal or a notice, put it in the first folder and let the recipient or their authorized contact decide. Leave unfamiliar pieces unrecycled until someone with authority has seen them.
Private first-pass checklist
Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.
Plan the next sitting
Choose a time that works for the recipient to go through the official folder with someone they trust. After that, open the advertising list and send the first request to a sender they asked to stop.
Official source
Keep personal records with the organization that handles them
Junk Mail Magic is for ordinary unwanted advertising. Use the official contact route in this guide for records, account changes or someone else’s correspondence.
Compare removal routes