Senior Health
Take the Holidays to Check on Vulnerable Elders
The Department of Human Services wants to remind
Oregonians to be aware of the signs of self-neglect and/or
vulnerable adult abuse. With family members coming to
town visiting their friends, neighbors and loved ones this
season, it is important to take the time to check in on the
vulnerable and isolated people you may know to be sure
they are taking care of themselves and are safe.
Self-neglect can be defined as the inability of a person
(more often than not due to worsening dementia) to pro-
vide themselves with the necessities of daily living.
According to DHS officials, Adult Protective Services
received over 2100 inquiries in 2011 relating to concerns
about self-neglect.
Indicators of self-neglect can be a lack of food and water,
poor hygiene, dressing improperly, not taking critical med-
ications and ignoring health problems. The person’s lack
of understanding of their predicament leads to harm or
endangerment.
Self-neglect does not include individuals who are capa-
ble of making informed decisions or have different
lifestyles where their standards for personal care or house-
keeping are not that of their community.
“Self-neglect and elder abuse is under-reported mostly
because people do not know how to recognize the signs or
indicators,” said Marie Cervantes,
director of the DHS Office of Adult
Abuse Prevention and Investigations.
“We want to raise awareness of self-
neglect and ways to report it so that
we may prevent it. Checking in on
your loved ones, as well as vulnerable
neighbors and friends this holiday
season is a way to make sure they are
healthy and safe,” she said.
Last year, DHS Adult Protective
Services received over 28,000 refer-
rals of vulnerable adult abuse. The
most prevalent allegations were self-
neglect, financial exploitation, and
neglect of care. DHS Office of Adult
Abuse Prevention and Investigations
specialists work to resolve the imme-
diate crisis, reduce risk and help to
establish long-term stability.
For information on vulnerable abuse
and what to look for go to: www.ore-
gon.gov/DHS. If you believe abuse or neglect may be
occurring contact the Department of Human Services
office in your area or your local law enforcement. If you
are unsure who to contact call 1-800-232-3020 (DHS).
What You May Not Know About
Social Security and Medicare
Know When
You Qualify
Consider Your
Credits
Many people may be
aware that the age at which
you will qualify for full
Social Security retirement
benefits has been creeping
up from the traditional 65.
Those born between 1943
and 1954 must be age 66 to
qualify and those born in
1960 or later must be 67,
with incremental increases
for years in between. So,
right off the bat, it’s impor-
tant to know exactly when
you’ll qualify for full bene-
fits. (Find more details on
the Social Security Admin-
istration site.)
Not all workers automat-
ically receive Social Secu-
rity benefits when they
reach full retirement age.
When Social Security taxes
are deducted from your
pay, you receive credits
that add up over time to
qualify you for benefits.
Those born in 1929 or later
need a minimum of 40
credits and 10 years of
work to qualify. If you stop
and start working at differ-
ent times in your life, your
credits will continue to
accumulate. In addition,
the higher your earnings
over time, the greater the
benefit you will receive
(until you reach the benefit
maximum). As a result, if
you stopped working for
long periods or if your
earnings were relatively
low at various points in
your career, it may be in
your interest to work
longer—either full or part
time—in order to pump up
your total lifetime earn-
ings. Your CPA can help
you determine the best
choice for you.
Make Informed Deci-
sions about Your Retire-
ment Date
Once you confirm when
you qualify for benefits,
you should give some
thought to whether that’s
actually the best time for
you to begin receiving
them. You may know that
you can begin taking
Social Security retirement
benefits as early as age 62,
but they will be lower than
the full benefit you’ll
receive if you keep work-
ing to full retirement age.
At the same time, you will
receive a higher benefit if
you continue working at
least until age 70. As an
example on the Social
Security Administration
site illustrates, the differ-
ences in what you receive
can be significant. Imagine
that you qualify to receive
$1,000 a month if you
retire at full retirement age
at 66. If you retire at age 62
instead, there will be a per-
manent reduction in your
benefit to $750 a month. If
you delay retirement until
age 70, on the other hand,
you’re monthly benefit will
jump to $1,320. That
means you may need to do
some thinking about the
advantages and disadvan-
tages of taking a smaller
amount sooner or holding
out for more later. Consid-
erations may include your
employment
situation,
your family needs and your
current health. Remember
that your CPA can help you
work through the numbers
and find the best answers.
CASE MANAGER 2
Human Services is seeking a Case Manager 2 to work
with the Developmental Disabilities Services Division.
This position provides services to children ages 0-15 and
high school transition age group 16-18. For additional
information about this position or to apply, please see
recruitment #6297-41 at www.multcojobs.org. Only
the first 100 applications will be accepted, so please
apply without delay. Salary range $44,307-$54,518
GAMBLING TOO MUCH?
Free, confidential help is available statewide. Call 1-877-
MY-LIMIT to talk to a certified counselor 24/7 or visit
1877mylimit.org to chat live with a counselor. We are not
here to judge. We are here to help. You can get your life
back.
Page 6 The Portland Skanner November 21, 2012