Many people who become disabled at or near the age of 62 choose to file a claim for early retirement benefits instead of Social Security disability benefits. This is a usually a mistake, since the Social Security system penalizes people who retire early, at age 62. If you receive Social Security disability benefits instead, you avoid those penalties. So don't automatically take the retirement check.
The critical aspect of a disability claim for those approaching retirement age is to rule out your past relevant work at step 4. If you can no longer do your past work, the SSA must consider your age when determining whether or not you can perform other work at step 5 of the sequential evaluation. If you can't rule out your past work, you do not get the benefit of being over age 55 (or age 60) at step 5.
I prefer to be involved as early as possible with a disability claim of a worker over age 55. Ideally, I am consulted before the claim is filed. That way, some common mistakes can be avoided.
{update: I have written an updated post on early retirement and Social Security disability benefits}