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Connections

The local population is getting older; what's next?

Five people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left in foreground has long blonde hair and is wearing a black and white plaid blazer and bright blue turtleneck; a woman at right in foreground has long blonde hair and is wearing a black cardigan sweater, a black and white patterned shirt, beige pants and black shoes; a woman at left in background has dark hair and is wearing a blue and white plaid blazer and a light blue shirt; a woman at right in background has short blonde hair and is wearing a black top; a man at center has short dark hair and is wearing a white button-down shirt and a blue, green and white striped tie.
Gary Pudup
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Leanne Rorick and Assemblymember Sarah Clark, (background) Bibianna Silvera-Portacio and Ann Marie Cook on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, January 23, 2025
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

For the first time in history, 25 percent of Monroe County's population is 60 or older. Nationally, more than 11,000 people a day are turning 65.

A lot of the coverage makes the aging population sound like a dangerous trend: a wave, a tsunami. Lifespan wants us to view it differently: an older population means we are living longer, and with the right approach and resources, we can live well.

We talk about how with our guests:

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.