All Posts in "The Senior Scene"

Five things to know about Social Security

By Christina Clem

Social Security is your money — you earned it through a lifetime of hard work. And, like most Americans, that money is needed to help cover living expenses and pay bills. Nearly one in six Washington residents – 1.4 million people – receive Social Security benefits, and 36 percent of residents 65 and older rely on them for at least half of their income.

Here are five things to know about Social Security:

  1. When can I start collecting Social Security?

You are eligible as early as age 62. However, the longer you wait to start collecting after you become eligible (up until age 70), the larger your annual payments will be. For those who are eligible for survivor benefits or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you can start collecting earlier.

  • Can I collect Social Security while working?

Yes. In fact, 26 percent of Social Security recipients in 2023 were still working. But if you are below full retirement age (67) and earn more than a certain amount, your monthly payments will be temporarily reduced. Once you reach full retirement age, your payments will be increased to make up for any previous reduction in benefits caused by earning more than the limit.

  • How much will I receive each year?

Your Social Security income will depend on multiple factors, but the most important is your lifetime earnings from work. The Social Security Administration takes your 35 highest-earnings years, calculates an inflation-adjusted average, and plugs this information into a formula to find your “basic” benefit. How old you are when you claim Social Security will also impact the amount you receive. AARP’s Social Security Calculator, at aarp.org/socialsecurity, can help you estimate how much you will receive.

  • What is the maximum payment I can receive each month?

In 2023, the highest monthly payment for Social Security was $3,627. However, the average retirement benefit is $1,833. To receive the maximum payment, your earnings must exceed the maximum taxable income for at least 35 working years, and you must be at full retirement age, which is age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

  • How do I sign up for Social Security?

You can apply for retirement, spousal, or disability benefits online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or in person at a local Social Security office. Find the local office closest to you at ssa.gov/locator.

Christina Clem is AARP Washington’s communications manager.

The Senior Scene by — October 24, 2024 in Personal Finance/Consumers
Tacoma closing senior centers, transferring services to park district

(Pictured: LIghthouse Senior Center in Tacoma, one of two such centers the city plans to close.)

Tacoma is moving toward converting two senior centers to other uses and transferring their services for older adults to Metro Parks Tacoma.  

The city announced in October that it’s working on a partnership with Metro Parks to expand and enhance services for people 50 and older—a change from the current minimum age of 60 for participation in the city-sanctioned senior programs. Officials said the new arrangement would produce a wider range of programs, activities, and resources for Tacoma’s senior population.

“This partnership agreement, once finalized, will represent a significant step forward in our commitment to providing exceptional services for our seniors,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards.

 A letter about the change was sent Oct. 17 to seniors who frequent the Lighthouse and Beacon senior centers, the two facilities that city officials want to close at the end of 2024 and then repurpose them. The news reportedly caught seniors by surprise and generated opposition among them. One said the city needs to know “how important these centers are to all of us.” Another said that sentiment likely would be voiced in the form of petitions.

In a formal statement, city officials said that once the partnership with Metro Parks is “finalized,” other uses of the senior center sites  could include affordable housing, types of housing programs addressing homelessness, or space for city operations.

City and Metro representatives plan to meet with seniors in December to “ensure a smooth transition,” officials said.

Franke Tobey Jones, a retirement community in the North Tacoma area, took over operations of Lighthouse and Beacon in 2023 after negotiations with the city. At the time, Beacon was undergoing renovations that officials said would enable it to function long-term as a senior activity center and an overnight shelter for young adults

Lighthouse is located at 5016 A St., near Pacific Avenue, and Beacon is downtown at 415 S. 13th St.

A city spokeswoman, Maria Lee, said Franke Tobey Jones staff members working at the centers may be considered for employment in the revised senior services.

Franke Tobey Jones also runs the city-owned Point Defiance-Ruston Senior Center under a contract that continues through March 2025. The city anticipates renegotiating that agreement next month, according to Lee.

The Senior Scene by — October 23, 2024 in News
Ballots ready: Time to decide

Voters will begin casting ballots this month for president, governor, and other candidates and ballot measures.
County election departments will mail ballots to registered voters Oct. 18. Voters will have until Nov. 5, election day, to mail them back or deposit them in official drop boxes.
Another key date is Oct. 28, the last day new voter registrations can be accepted for the election.
Information is available from the Pierce County election department (253-798-7430, piercecountyelections.org) and the King County elections office (206-296-8683, elections@kingcounty.gov).

The Senior Scene by — October 17, 2024 in News
‘Asahel’ documents preservation of his historical photos

(Pictured: Asahel Curtis took this picture in 1929 of Galbraith Dock on the Seattle waterfront. The steamship Hyak Poulsbo (lower right) and the double-wing airplane ferry to Bremerton and Gorst in Kitsap County (middle) are tied up at piers. Downtown buildings are seen in the background.)

The race to preserve 60,000 priceless and fragile photographs capturing the diversity of Pacific Northwest life during the last two centuries is the subject of a documentary from Cascade PBS.

Most of the images—made by photographer Asahel Curtis from the 1890s to 1940s—have remained in boxes and unseen by all but a handful of people for the past 80 years. “Asahel: The Curtis Collection,” relating the Washington State Historical Society’s purchase of and ongoing effort to digitize the massive collection for free public use, is available to stream via the Cascade PBS app and at cascadepbs.org

“Every day is an adventure as we digitize images,” said Margaret Wetherbee, head of collections at the Historical Society. “What will we find? Steam engines, historical fashion, or signs for businesses long forgotten? These moments provide a glimpse into the lives of Washington’s past residents.” 

The images are fragile, captured on glass plates or nitrate negatives. Because they’re susceptible to combustion, the originals are at risk and must be stored in climate-controlled vaults. Each image is being scanned in time-consuming process to ensure the collection survives, Weatherbee said. 

During his career, Curtis often made images of everyday life in the Northwest: People at work in barbershops and flower shops, on the waterfront, in logging camps. He also produced photographs of the region’s natural wonders, including ice caves, mountain peaks, and coulees. 

The Curtis collection “is a gold mine of history and connection for the people of the Pacific Northwest and beyond,” said the documentary’s co-producer, narrator and historian, Knute Berger, who also hosts Cascade PBS’ “Mossback’s Northwest.” Public access to the photos “will likely change—and will certainly enrich—our view of the region and its people,” he said.

Asahel (pronounced “AY-shul”) Curtis, who died in 1941, is the brother of the even more famous photographer Edward Curtis, whose life’s work aimed, incorrectly, to portray Native Americans as people on the verge of extinction. While Edward Curtis’ portfolio is appreciated in some cases for its historical value, today it’s also criticized for distorted perspective and damaging impact. 

The Curtis brothers parted ways early in their careers and took different approaches with their work. 

“Connecting to our past is really about empathy and being able to empathize” with what people experienced and “to gain understanding of our own experience,” Jennifer Kilmer, director of the Washington State Historical Society, says in “Asahel: The Curtis Collection.” 

Cascade PBS is a public media organization serving the Northwest with Public Broadcasting
System national and local programming, independent news and investigative journalism.

The Senior Scene by — October 17, 2024 in Lifestyle, Home, Adventures