AARP held roundtable to discuss needs of aging population

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — New York State is home to 3.5 million residents who are 65 or older and the City of Rochester saw a 64 percent increase in its older adult population over the past decade.

Rochester grew at the highest rate of any major city in the state, according to AARP’s New York State Director Beth Finkel. She said AARP New York is working with state and local governments and community-based nonprofits to develop collaborations to meet the needs of older New Yorkers.

Those needs include the fight for social security, Medicare, more money for home and community-based care and the fight for lower utility prices. She said a lot of things have been changing demographically and needs for the 50-plus community are rapidly growing.

“In the city of Rochester 65-plus population increased by 63 percent in a ten-year period of 2011 to 2021,” Finkel said. To put that in perspective in Erie County and Buffalo, that number went up 23 percent and statewide that number went up 31 percent,” she said. So, you can hear how Rochester is the outlier and how the needs of those aging here and wanting to stay here and age here, how do we meet those needs.”

Finkel said roundtables are important to discuss because about 43 percent of people in New York State are going to be relying on social security for 50 percent or more of their income when they retire. She said many of them are worried about things like social security, housing, transportation, and retirement as they and their family members start to age.