All Posts in "Month: September 2019"

Social Security plays an especially important role in providing economic security for women.
In the 21st century, more women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nation’s history. In fact, about 59 percent of people getting Social Security payments are women. But women face greater economic challenges in retirement:
• Women tend to live longer than men. A woman who is 65 years old today can expect to live, on average, until about 87, while a 65-year-old man can expect to live, on average, until about 84;
• Women often have lower lifetime earnings than men.
• And women may reach retirement with smaller pensions and other assets than men.
Social Security offers a basic level of protection to all women. When you work, you pay taxes into the Social Security system, providing for your own benefits. In addition, your spouse’s earnings can give you Social Security coverage as well. Women who don’t work are often covered through their spouses’ work. When their spouses retire, become disabled, or die, women can receive benefits. There are also options of filing on a divorced spouse’s record.
If you’re a worker age 18 or older, you can get a Social Security Statement online. Your statement is a valuable tool to help you plan a secure financial future, and we recommend that you look at it each year. Your Statement provides a record of your earnings. To create an account online and review your Statement, visit our website at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
If your spouse dies, you can get widow benefits if you’re 60 or older. If you have a disability, you can get widow’s benefits as early as age 50. Your benefit amount will depend on your age and on the amount your deceased spouse was entitled to at the time of death. If your spouse was receiving reduced benefits, your survivor benefit will be based on that amount.
You may be eligible for widow’s benefits and Medicare before age 65 if you have a disability and are entitled to benefits. You also may be eligible for benefits if you are caring for a child who is younger than 16.
Our “People Like Me” website for women has valuable resources for people of all ages. You can access it at www.socialsecurity.gov/people/women.
To read more about how we can help you, read and share the publication “What Every Woman Should Know” at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10127.pdf.

Kirk Larson, who wrote this article, is a Social Security public affairs specialist.

srmedia by — September 10, 2019 in Personal Finance/Consumers

A six-part series of discussions about memory loss for individuals with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, their families and caregivers will begin in September, hosted by Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources.

Topics (under the title of “Oh My Gosh, Now What?”) will include warning signs and symptoms, managing behavior, how the disease progresses, legal and financial issues, and local resources. All sessions will be held Mondays from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Bonney Lake Senior Center, 19304 Bonney Lake Blvd E. Any or all of the free discussions are open to the public. 

The schedule:

• Sept 9, “What is Dementia? What are the warning signs?”

• Sept 16, “How does the disease progress? What should I expect?”

• Sept 23, “How do I start the conversation? How do I cope with the shock?”

• Sept 30, “What are the typical moods and behaviors? How do I manage them?”

• Oct 7, “How do I pay for care? What are the legal things I should do?”

• Oct 14, “Where can I turn for help? What are the resources I can rely on?”

The sessions—which will be led by case managers with Aging and Disability Resources, a county government program that helps individuals and families coping with memory loss—can help people be alert to and prepare for dementia, said Aaron Van Valkenburg, the program manager.

“We all value our memories,” said Van Valkenburg. “In fact, 82 percent of seniors say it’s important to have their thinking or memory checked. But only 16 percent say they receive regular cognitive assessments. That puts an enormous burden on spouses, families and friends to watch for the tell-tale signs of confusion or memory loss.”

Additional information about the series is available at 253-798-4600. 

srmedia by — September 9, 2019 in Everything Else
Entering a wildlife world

Boardwalks and other walkways take visitors into a world of conifer forests, wetlands, prairies and animals ranging from owls to deer, coyotes and bobcats at Morse Wildlife Preserve in Graham.

The 238-acre preserve in south Pierce County is named for a family that donated land for education purposes and wildlife habitat. Admission is free on the second Sunday of each month, and guided tours, student field trips, and volunteer opportunities are offered.

Forterra, a non-profit land conservancy organization, manages the preserve.

More information is available at forterra.org/morse-wildlife-preserve and at 253-565-9278.

srmedia by — September 5, 2019 in Lifestyle, Home, Adventures

Shredded paper, milk and juice cartons, and plastic plant pots are no longer accepted in Pierce County’s recycling program.

This change affects all recycling, whether curbside or at drop-off locations, in the county’s solid-waste system. The county system doesn’t include Tacoma, Ruston, Auburn, Pacific or Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

While paper milk and  juice cartons are now restricted to garbage for disposal, plastic milk and juice jugs are still recyclable.

Recent challenges with recycling in the United States prompted the change in Pierce County. For nearly two decades, most recyclables in the U.S. were baled and exported to mills in China. Many of the bales contained items that weren’t recyclable and had to be sent to landfills. To clean up their environment, the Chinese government banned the import of most categories of recyclable material in 2017. Now that most recyclables are no longer sent overseas, recycling programs and ratepayers must manage the increased costs associated with processing and shipping recyclables to re-manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada.

More information about what’s recyclable and what isn’t is available at www.piercecountywa.gov/recycle.

The county is asking the public to “recycle the right things and don’t put things in the cart hoping they’ll be recycled,” said Ryan Dicks, sustainable resources administrator for the county. “We also need to think about ways to reduce waste, such as (using) reusable bottles and mugs and repairing items instead of replacing them.”

srmedia by — September 5, 2019 in News