My mother shares a mailbox stand with four other neighbors. She will check her mailbox several times a day. Sometimes she will look into the neighbor's box to check if they received mail. I addressed this with her and explained it's illegal. People with dementia just don't get it and I'm afraid that one day a neighbor will call the police to complain.
Any suggestions?
”People with dementia just don’t get it”, also CAN’T “get it”, and never will “get it”.
If neighbors are concerned about their mail, they really are entitled to complain. Are you planning for your mother’s inevitable and maybe soon need for someone to stay with her, to prevent this kind of problem?
I would go knock on the neighbors door and explain that she has dementia and she is doing this, most people understand, it's the no communication that bites you with this.
Ensure them that you will return any mail she might get a hold of and be prompt in doing so.
What a challenge.
Isthisrealyreal has a very good suggestion for you regarding the mail situation.
I suggest you read this 33 page booklet (which is a free download) which has THE best information ever about managing dementia and what to expect with an elder who's been diagnosed with it. This booklet does not address FT dementia, which is even trickier than the other dementias and Alzheimer's and even less understood by doctors, unfortunately.
Understanding the Dementia Experience, by Jennifer Ghent-Fuller
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210580
The booklet does have some good tips and tricks to help you deal with your mom and her condition, along with some Do's and Don'ts regarding her care & language needs.
Good luck.
Checking their mail reminds me of the old ‘party lines’ for landlines in the country, where you could pick up your own telephone and listen in to the neighbors’ gossip.