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
Food waste will likely be a big problem at the Super Bowl. One organization hopes to change that Kathy Ritchie Feb. 11, 2023
Slew of aging-related bills move through the Arizona Legislature Kathy Ritchie Feb. 9, 2023
Bill would create dementia program, update AZ Alzheimer’s State Plan Kathy Ritchie Feb. 6, 2023
Bill would allow nursing homes to use a third party for annual inspections Kathy Ritchie Feb. 6, 2023
Baseball memory support groups help people with Alzheimer's Kathy Ritchie Feb. 4, 2023
Group says consumers need better info on nursing home ownership Kathy Ritchie Feb. 4, 2023
Uterine cancer rates are on the rise among women of color Kathy Ritchie Feb. 3, 2023
Arizona ranks near the middle for support of paid caregiving workforce Kathy Ritchie Jan. 31, 2023
Older LGBTQ people in rural AZ struggle to find services Kathy Ritchie Jan. 30, 2023
Some viral illnesses could increase chances of developing Alzheimer’s Kathy Ritchie Jan. 27, 2023
Children’s Action Alliance: Proposed tampons, diaper tax exemptions a cause for concern Kathy Ritchie Jan. 25, 2023
Why LGBTQ people could benefit from a death doula Kathy Ritchie Jan. 23, 2023
This team investigates Maricopa County's unexplained deaths Kathy Ritchie Jan. 24, 2023
Organization aims to support Native American dementia caregivers on Navajo Nation Kathy Ritchie Jan. 17, 2023
Banner Alzheimer's Institute doctor is hopeful for new drug Kathy Ritchie Jan. 10, 2023
Arizona State Hospital remains a pain point; solutions seem limited despite issues Kathy Ritchie Jan. 9, 2023
AARP Arizona hopes Hobbs will do more to support older adults Kathy Ritchie Jan. 6, 2023
Leaders in disability community optimistic about Hobbs administration Kathy Ritchie Jan. 6, 2023
Former AZ Senate President Pearce dies at 75 Kathy Ritchie, KJZZ News
Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services
Jan. 5, 2023
How Arizona's new minimum wage will impact long-term care workers Kathy Ritchie Dec. 28, 2022
Southwest still struggling after holiday flight cancellations Kathy Ritchie, Jill Ryan
Associated Press
Dec. 28, 2022
One of the only homeless shelters for seniors will be in Phoenix Kathy Ritchie Dec. 27, 2022
Staffing, low COVID-19 vaccination rates are straining long-term care facilities Kathy Ritchie Dec. 20, 2022
Why are seniors skipping the updated COVID-19 booster? Kathy Ritchie Dec. 20, 2022
As minimum wage increases, aging agencies use TikTok to hire caregivers Kathy Ritchie Dec. 16, 2022

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