Article (12, unbold). Select this sentence to paste over the article. Check that the article is justified by using "Preview". Paul Haegele of Kent remembers the days when as a strapping young man he did all the repairs on his home, kept in shape with frequent bodybuilding sessions at the gym and bought a new car every two or three years.

Now 67 and bowed by illness that has racked his lungs and stomach, Haegele drives a 1993 Chevy, has difficulty maintaining his bungalow near Lake Carmel and spends most of his days alone.

"I didn't think old age would be like this," said Haegele, a gaunt man with white hair, as he sits in his small living room surrounded by the many medications he must consume every day. "I spend most of my time at home watching television."

As Putnam residents age, some are struggling to remain independent on fixed incomes while fighting social isolation in a still-rural county with little public transportation.

The 2000 census indicates that more than 13 percent of the county population, now estimated at 100,570, is over 60. The percentage of elderly in Putnam is expected to rise to 20 percent by 2015, or about one in five residents.

Age alone does not determine how residents fare. Health, income, access to transportation, affordable housing and community involvement play significant roles. Putnam offers many services to the elderly, but some who need help are not getting it.

Soaring taxes and rising gas and heating costs have meant food shortages for some Putnam seniors, said Rosemarie Bahr, director of the nonprofit Putnam Community Action Program in Brewster.

More elderly residents are using CAP's food pantry and soup kitchen, she said. And home health care aides for the county delivered an additional dozen Thanksgiving food baskets to seniors not scheduled to receive them after the aides saw the need during their visits, Bahr said.

"Seniors are a very proud group and do not want to ask for help from organizations, but people have less and less of a margin of error in their budgets," she said.

Gloria Stahl, 80, lives in Brewster in an apartment provided through the nonprofit Putnam Community Foundation. She likes having a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer right in her modern, comfortable two-bedroom apartment but struggles to pay the monthly $875 rent plus utilities on Social Security and a small pension.

"Unless you have a good bank account, you can't pay to have people come in and help out," said Stahl, whose hands are crippled with rheumatoid arthritis. She also suffers from asthma and has undergone surgery for vascular disease. "I can't drive because of my hands. I try to do things for myself but I get very tired. I could use a little help."

Stahl wishes she had rental assistance, once-a-week help with housecleaning and grocery shopping, and transportation to her physical therapy appointments.

"We're spending billions and billions in Iraq, but there's no money for people who paid their taxes," said Stahl, whose father fought in World War I and whose husband, now dead, served in World War II. "I never thought at 80 I would be worrying about whether I can pay the rent."

For help, Stahl counts on two friends who face physical challenges of their own. Neighbor Linda Latham, 66, drives Stahl and a third friend, Mary O'Leary, 61, to the numerous medical appointments they each require.

Putnam's Office for the Aging transports seniors to doctors' appointments, including in Westchester County and Connecticut, through a program funded by the United Way of Westchester and Putnam. But pickups must be scheduled well in advance, and transport to regular physical therapy sessions is not provided.

Latham, who has lived in Putnam for 55 years, moved to Brewster from a house in Kent about a year and a half ago. Rising taxes and the cost of repairs drove her out of her home, but she wanted to remain in Putnam, she said.

"The three of us look after each other," said Latham, who has asthma, fibromialgia and hypertension. O'Leary recently underwent knee and breast cancer surgery.

"I'm lucky because I have a car, I can still drive, and I have friends to help me," Latham said. "But I still worry that I'm a check away from being on the street."

Escaping isolation has changed the life of Ann Voss, 67, of Patterson, a lifelong Putnam County resident and former nurse.

A head-on collision more than a decade ago left Voss with brain trauma that ended her career and led to depression.

For many years, Voss, who never married, stayed at home with little outside contact.

"For 10 years I hid from everyone," Voss said. "I lived like a hermit. I was frightened when people called, so I wouldn't answer the phone."

Putnam Family and Community Services in Carmel helped Voss restart her life by connecting her with the medical and psychological services she needs. Voss has become an active member of the agency's support group for women over 60 and volunteers with the Elks lodge in Brewster.

"I'm 67 years old now, but most days I don't feel that age," Voss said. "I think 67 is the new 47."

William Huestis, director of the Office for the Aging, said services for seniors have expanded significantly, with four centers operating in Putnam and others planned for Kent and Southeast.

Adult day-care services are also available, he said.

The office has a $5 million annual budget from state, federal and county funds and from donations and fees.

"Prepared meals delivered to homebound seniors have saved lives," Huestis said, because the food can't be left unless someone comes to the door.

Haegele, who receives the Meals on Wheels service at his home in Kent, said that without the agency's meals, "I would have been eating cat food."