Kathy Ritchie

Kathy Ritchie's picture
Senior Field Correspondent - Tempe

Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets -- nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.

Most recently, she was the health and caregiving editor at Next Avenue, a national digital publication geared toward people 50-plus. While there, she oversaw a team of contributors, identified opportunities for new feature stories and series, and oversaw the completion of the 2021 John A. Hartford Foundation grant, one of Next Avenue’s largest active grants to date. Ritchie was also responsible for Next Avenue's 2022 series entitled Aging with Disabilities in America. Next Avenue is part of the Twin Cities PBS system.

Ritchie has spent most of her public media career in radio as a senior field correspondent at NPR member station, KJZZ in Phoenix. While there, Ritchie was responsible for the station’s largest newsroom collaboration, a 10-part series The State of Aging in the Valley. She also pitched and produced a four-part podcast, The Recovering Caregiver, based on her own personal experience with her mother who had frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) and what life is like after dementia. The final episode was nominated for a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award.

Her latest podcast aims to set the record straight when it comes to menopause. Period, The End (But Not Really) debuted in September 2023.

Over the years, Ritchie has reported on the challenges facing LGBT elders, the topic of aging and intimacy, senior homelessness, ambiguous loss and grief, grandfamilies, and what it means to age in our society. Many of these stories have aired on NPR’s national magazine show, Here & Now.

And throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, Ritchie reported on the myriad challenges facing families, older adults and caregivers. That work led her to create a miniseries called, Caring in Crisis, in which she documented the experiences of “the helpers.”

Besides her professional experience in the aging space, Ritchie wrote about her mother’s journey living with dementia in a blog

Ritchie got her start in television at ABC News and later at FOX News in New York City.

Title Author(s) Publication Date
Doctor talks about helping women connect with their intimate anatomy Kathy Ritchie Dec. 4, 2023
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, dies at age 93 Phil Latzman, Kathy Ritchie Dec. 1, 2023
Music could help sleep problems during menopause, study shows Kathy Ritchie Nov. 27, 2023
Report: Grandfamilies face heightened mental health concerns due to trauma Kathy Ritchie Nov. 24, 2023
Only 6% of nursing home residents got COVID boosters Kathy Ritchie Nov. 20, 2023
Phoenix program finds success preventing diabetes in Latino communities Kathy Ritchie Nov. 20, 2023
Menopause adds up to $1.8 billion in lost workdays, study shows Kathy Ritchie Nov. 18, 2023
Blood tests that detect Alzheimer's are on the horizon Kathy Ritchie Nov. 15, 2023
AZ veteran caregivers spend more than other family caregivers Kathy Ritchie Nov. 13, 2023
Aging with a serious mental illness adds to difficulties of finding care Kathy Ritchie Nov. 13, 2023
If you're unhoused and have dementia or serious mental illness, there's almost nowhere to go Kathy Ritchie Nov. 9, 2023
Medicare enrollment now open; 2024 plans will include new negotiated drug prices Kathy Ritchie Nov. 6, 2023
Emergency homeless shelter screens older residents for dementia. 91% don't pass Kathy Ritchie Nov. 8, 2023
Temporary shelter for homeless adults 55+ opens in Phoenix Kathy Ritchie Oct. 31, 2023
Agencies to review assisted living complaints response Kathy Ritchie Oct. 25, 2023
Get help with living wills, health care power of attorney at free Phoenix event on Oct. 28 Kathy Ritchie Oct. 25, 2023
Homeless seniors in Phoenix now have a dedicated temporary shelter geared toward their needs Kathy Ritchie Oct. 23, 2023
More frequent hot flashes during menopause linked to heart disease Kathy Ritchie Oct. 20, 2023
Banner Alzheimer’s is hosting a caregiver conference for Native Americans Kathy Ritchie Oct. 16, 2023
Phoenix breaks heat record; triple digits forecast through Saturday Kathy Ritchie Oct. 16, 2023
AARP ranks Arizona No. 22 for long-term care systems Kathy Ritchie Oct. 14, 2023
CMS to cover cost of PET scans used to detect Alzheimer's disease Kathy Ritchie Oct. 13, 2023
Nursing home director fears how staffing mandates will affect facility Kathy Ritchie Oct. 2, 2023
Hearing aids can help slow cognitive decline in older adults, NIH study confirms Kathy Ritchie Oct. 2, 2023
It will still be hot in Phoenix — but lows might drop into 60s by weekend Kathy Ritchie Sept. 25, 2023

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