Cheryl Benning wakes up every day at 6 a.m.

She works as a receptionist from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week.

At 62, she had hoped to end her days at the office by now.

She would prefer volunteering with children or taking a cruise, but the money's not there, she said.

She faced paying for her utilities, health insurance, six medications and her son's basic needs after recovering from surgery in 1999.

Though she received a monthly disability check for a year-long illness, she knew she would be going back to work after retiring as a certified nurse assistant in 1998.

"It just wasn't enough," she said. "You get a few hundred a month. That's not enough if you have bills to pay. I'm trying to make it where we can live a good life."

She is hoping to retire in three years but wants to get her 15-year-old son, Steven, off to college first.

She is not alone. Since 1995, the number of workers 55 and older working full-time jobs has nearly doubled, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between August 2007 and August of this year, the number of workers 65 and older in the work force increased by 487,000, according to the same statistics.

The statistics reveal a national trend, said Edna Jackson, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Human Resources.

"We find that they are now working out of necessity as opposed to simply staying active," said Ms. Jackson, whose department oversees the CSRA Area Agency on Aging. "Now, they're seeking full- and part-time positions to pay mortgages and cover the rise in health care and supporting their families."

Emily Leckie helps unemployed people 55 and older on a fixed income get training and find jobs. She is the employment training coordinator for Experience Works, a senior employment program.

Her program assists about 200 older people in Richmond, Columbia, Burke and McDuffie counties each year, but the program has a limited number of slots.

"We know more and more people are applying and need jobs," Ms. Leckie said. "It's more challenging with the price of gas, utilities and the costs of food rising."

Older people face the challenge of becoming part of a job market that is not always welcoming, said Ann King, a spokeswoman for Georgia's Experience Works program.

"There's already a tight job market, and with the economic downturn that just makes it harder for them," she said. "A lot of people do not consider them as a viable part of the labor pool."

Experience Works provides job training and job placement for those who are on average about 60 years old, Ms. King said. Most of them are between 55 and 65, she said. At 55, those not on disability receive no government benefits.

Once they're eligible for Social Security, they still don't receive enough money, Ms. King said.

When Miss Benning turns 65, she will likely earn about $13,000 a year from Social Security, she said.

Experience Works connected Miss Benning with her job at the Richmond/Burke Job Training Authority. Though she loves her job, she's still hoping to get a break.

"It's impossible for me to retire right now, but I know that day will come," she said.

Reach Stephanie Toone at (706) 823-3215 or stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.