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Connections

Caregiving for people with dementia

Five people sit in front of microphones in a television studio: a man far left has short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a grey plaid blazer, and white button-down shirt. He is sitting at a table covered with a blue cloth with the text "Move to Include." A woman near left has short blonde hair and is sitting in a chair wearing a maroon blazer, a black and maroon patterned dress, and black shoes. A woman at center has long brown hair and is sitting in a chair wearing a black blazer, white blouse, bright pink pants, and black sandals. A woman at near right has short grey hair and is sitting in a chair wearing glasses, a white and brown patterned t-shirt, blue capri pants; and black shoes. A woman far right has long brown hair and is sitting in a chair wearing glasses, a black cardigan, a black and white patterned dress, and black sandals.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
Carol Podgorski, Jennifer Lesinski, Barbara Smith, and Katy Allen with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, June 3, 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

Dementia affects nearly six million Americans and causes more than 100,000 deaths each year in the United States alone.

For caregivers, that can mean myriad challenges: providing the right kind of support; understanding disease progression; financial difficulties; and more. We discuss what the experts say, and we hear from a local caregiver.

In studio:

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.