My mother's obsession with shuffling old bills and papers to look 'independent' makes everyone crazy..she doesn't want to do anything else. She seems to want to prove her independence. We have put the bills on autopay, but she still calls the bank over and over and over to ask about balances, etc., even though she receives a statement. My brother and I want to completely take the checkbook, because she has overpaid things that aren't due. She's narcissistic and thinks everyone else is crazy, even tho she's had caregivers for 8 months to manage her meds and meals. I think it's time for assisted living... or memory care.
Memory Care is good for some people, but, I'd explore what those in your area are like and see if mom would fit in. There are various opinions about a regular AL or Memory Care and there are differences. I chose AL for my LO in the beginning, because it seemed to meet her needs, but, soon had to switch to MC due to wandering.
Does your mom have around the clock supervision in her home now? I ask, because, if she has a lot of interest in finances, it could be problematic if she's not supervised. She might disclose personal or financial information to a stranger or con artist. One day my LO let a salesman in and provided them her ss# and bank card#. This was before we knew of the dementia. So, I'd focus on securing her from that kind of situation early on. Phone scams are also a risk.
When it came time to fix her pills for the week, I filled the boxes for two weeks and then she “checked”. Checking was counting the pills in each slot. We always made sure we had two sets ready just in case I couldn’t get there from out of state one weekend. One set in the cabinet and the 2nd on the stand in the dinette. Once the ones in the dinette were gone she was able to switch the boxes for the new week.
I have POA and had her mail moved to a Post Office Box. She missed her mail, she looked for it every day - it was an obsession. When she came to live with me; she attended an adult day care program specifically for people with dementia. It was wonderful program; they entertained her all day long, she loved going and believed she was going work. Maybe you can find a program like that to keep her busy. She eventually forgot about the mail; but it took some time.