Melanie Haiken, Health Journalist


Melanie Haiken discovered how important it is to provide accurate, targeted, usable health information to people facing difficult decisions when she was health editor of Parenting magazine. She has written about health and family-related issues for magazines such as Health, Real Simple, Woman's Day, Yoga Journal, and websites such as BabyCenter.com, WebMD, and the Blue Cross/Blue Shield websites (aHealthyMe.com, aHealthyAdvantage.com) managed by Consumer Health Interactive. She has held positions as Executive Editor at the Industry Standard and BabyCenter.com, and Managing Editor at San Francisco magazine. She has also worked for San Francisco's renowned Center for Investigative Reporting. She has a master's degree in Journalism and a B.A. in English, both from the University of California at Berkeley.

Melanie cared for her father while he battled esophageal cancer, which ended his life much too soon. She currently cares for her mother, who has multiple health problems including low vision. Melanie is a single mother of two daughters, so she understands the complicated pressures on the so-called "sandwich generation."


Recently Published on Caring.com

Tip: Read the Health Insurance Fine Print — Mar 02, 2011
Changing health insurance can sometimes save your loved ones big bucks. But those savings can wind up costing you a lot more later, in a crisis, if you've failed to notice ...
Caregiver Tax Credit — Feb 25, 2011
Here are five strategies that help you receive tax credit as a primary caregiver. 1. Claim your parent as a dependent. Doing so gives you an additional exemption fo...
5 Signs a Caregiver Is Stealing From You — Jan 24, 2011
An heirloom bracelet goes missing, electronic gadgets can't be found, a wallet or bank account seems to be bleeding cash. Talk to anyone who's hired someone to help care fo...
What Does My Blood Pressure Reading Mean? — Dec 09, 2010
The information below and in the related links is designed to help you understand what your latest blood pressure readings may mean for your health -- and to provide tips o...
So Your Parent Wants to Move In With You -- Can You Afford It? — Oct 17, 2009
Recently I heard from Sarah, an old friend, about a hard situation she's in that I'm sure many Caring.com readers can relate to. Sarah's mother-in-law moved in with her and...