She’s 68 years old, meaning born in 1956. For someone born that year the earliest they can take Social Security is age 62. source
“I always wanted to earn my own money,” Echols said. “I always wanted to work, and at the age of 14, someone started my Social Security records for me. I waited 45 years to get that paycheck.”
From her quote it sounds like that’s what she did. However starting to take social security that early also means you get a reduced benefit. Assuming she started it the day she turned 62 she only gets 73.3% of her full possible benefit. If she had waited until age 66 she would have gotten her full benefit of $1446/month instead of the $1056/month she’s getting now. However, I completely understand that she may have had to start taking it early for personal economic reasons to survive. This is one of the reasons retirement savings outside of social security is so important. If she would have had enough to supplement and delay social security until 66, she would have had the full amount and still retire at 62.