Gut Punched: Alzheimer’s & Caregivers

In Episode 83 of GutPunched: Alzheimer’s and Caregivers, host Jeff Edwards welcomes listeners into another candid, compassionate, and unfiltered conversation about the realities of caregiving. As the holiday hustle sets in, Jeff explores why caregivers often feel like their memory is slipping. Spoiler alert: Alzheimer’s isn’t contagious, but stress absolutely is.

This episode breaks down:

• Jay Leno + Howie Mandel in the news and how their stories connect to caregiving.

• Brain supplements that actually work—and those that don’t, based on current research.

• How regular music listening can lower the risk of dementia and why caregivers should use it as a tool for themselves and their loved ones.

Jeff also revisits the show’s core Five Tenets of Caregiving, empowering listeners to care for themselves, ask for help, create support systems, and embrace caregiving with resilience. Sponsored by Heart, Body, & Mind Home Care, this episode is a reminder that caregivers are never alone.

Listeners are encouraged to subscribe, share with families affected by dementia, and send questions to GUTPUNCHEDAC@OUTLOOK.COM to be answered by real experts—neurologists, researchers, and professional caregivers.

This episode is packed with insight, validation, and practical tools to help caregivers breathe, reset, and continue their journey with confidence.

Available on GUTPUNCHED.COM  

Also on : Podcast Playground, Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, PodBean, iHeart, X, Y, YouTube, and many more.

#AlzheimersPodcast #CaregiverTips #DementiaCare #MusicTherapy #CaregiverBurnout #BrainHealth #GutPunchedPodcast

In this episode, host Jeff Edwards explores alternative Alzheimer’s treatments, lifestyle-based approaches, and supportive care options that may improve the quality of life for individuals living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Guest Paul Wayne Bowman, author of You Can Reverse Dementia, joins the conversation to discuss brain health, cognitive support strategies, and emerging ideas in dementia care. Listeners will also revisit the essential GutPunched Caregiver Tenets, which focus on caregiver self-care, building a support network, managing overwhelming tasks, and creating communication signals for outside caregivers.

The GutPunched community continues to grow, and we invite caregivers to submit questions for future expert interviews — including neurologists, researchers, and medical professionals. Learn more or listen now at GUTPUNCHED.COM.

Hashtags: #Alzheimers #DementiaCare #CaregiverSupport #AlzheimersPodcast #BrainHealth #DementiaAwareness #CaregivingJourney #GutPunchedPodcast #FamilyCaregivers #SeniorCare #CognitiveHealth #CaregiverLife #DementiaHelp #AgingParents #AlzheimersAwareness

In Episode 81, Jeff welcomes you to the unofficial kickoff of the holiday season—because if Thanksgiving 2025 is already here, that means the Big Guy in Red isn’t far behind… and thankfully, no, he’s not from the government. (We think.)

This episode blends humor, heart, and holiday reality checks as Jeff reflects on gratitude—from family and a sometimes-affectionate Chi-weenie, to the daily blessings found in a stranger's smile. Whether you’re feasting on turkey or grabbing cold convenience-store pizza, Jeff reminds listeners that if there’s breath in your lungs, there’s still something to be thankful for.

He also tackles a universal topic: holiday stress. This week’s conversation offers a general roadmap for surviving the season with sanity intact, with a more in-depth stress-management breakdown coming in a future episode.

Jeff also unveils a new 2026 initiative: listener Q&A. Caregivers can send in their burning questions—big, small, baffling, or heartbreaking—and Jeff will bring in pros (doctors, neurologists, researchers, caregivers) to deliver real answers next year. Questions can already be sent to GUTPUNCHEDAC@outlook.com.

All this, plus a shout-out to the show’s sponsor, Heart Body & Mind Home Care, in an episode that reminds caregivers everywhere that gratitude, humor, and community matter—especially when life hits hardest.

Navigating the insidious illness of Alzheimer’s is something nobody asks for. The disease sneaks up on you and your loved one, and it feels like you’ve been sucker-punched in the gut when you get the diagnosis from a doctor. So many things race through your mind: why us? What do we do? We worked so hard to get to this point in life. We just moved here after we both worked for 30 years, sold our house up North, and retired to Florida to enjoy our “golden years”. It’s not fair! Who’s going to take care of her/him? I don’t know a thing about this illness. She’s always done the cooking; I don’t even know how to boil water. He's always taken care of me and everything else like Finances. I don’t even drive! And it goes on and on. Facing this disease will bring you to your knees. Once you get over the initial shock (GUT PUNCHED), the questions and fears take hold. Where do we turn for help? Who do I call? What do I do? How do you take care of someone with Alzheimer's? Are there support groups? And questions like these just keep coming. 

In this heartfelt episode of GutPunched: Alzheimer’s & Caregivers — The Not So Sexy Podcast, host Jeff Edwards sits down with returning guest Molly Phillips to explore the impact of Lewy Body Disease (LBD)—a complex and emotional form of dementia. Molly shares her deeply personal story and how her experience has inspired an upcoming fundraising concert to raise awareness and hope for those affected.

Jeff also reminds caregivers of the GutPunched tenets: take care of yourself, ask for help, use your support network, and create a “help signal” to make your loved one’s care experience easier.

The episode closes with information on local Alzheimer’s walks in Fort Myers and Naples, and a call for listeners everywhere to visit Alz.org to find support and community events near them.

A touching, educational conversation that reminds every caregiver they’re not alone.

Navigating the insidious illness of Alzheimer’s is something nobody asks for. The disease sneaks up on you and your loved one, and it feels like you’ve been sucker-punched in the gut when you get the diagnosis from a doctor. So many things race through your mind: why us? What do we do? We worked so hard to get to this point in life. We just moved here after we both worked for 30 years, sold our house up North, and retired to Florida to enjoy our “golden years”. It’s not fair! Who’s going to take care of her/him? I don’t know a thing about this illness. She’s always done the cooking; I don’t even know how to boil water. He's always taken care of me and everything else like Finances. I don’t even drive! And it goes on and on. Facing this disease will bring you to your knees. Once you get over the initial shock (GUT PUNCHED), the questions and fears take hold. Where do we turn for help? Who do I call? What do I do? How do you take care of someone with Alzheimer's? Are there support groups? And questions like these just keep coming. I am a caregiver. I wasn’t before. Well, not this kind of caregiver. My wife was officially diagnosed in January of 2018. I had a sneaking suspicion that she might have something like this about 2 years earlier. So, when I brought it to my Neurologist, he sent us to a very nice Psychologist who specializes in testing patients to determine more accurately what is going on. It was a question-and-answer session, followed by a very detailed testing procedure that usually takes 3 or more hours. The patient has to complete the test comprising of questions, simple actions, and memory tests, then give them a couple of numbers or words then move on, going back to the numbers or words a short time later. 

So moving forward, I asked all the same questions as mentioned earlier. What are my options? So I “sucked it up”-Manned up so to speak. It's part of the deal for better or worse, right? So began my quest for information on support groups, doctors, anything I could get my hands on. It's been 6 years, and I am still looking for everything and anything that will help me crawl through this unchartered path to enlightenment. I was very fortunate to live in a city that has numerous resources to tap into. Most importantly, it's a place named after someone who suffered from Alzheimer’s. His wife provided the money to start the Alvin Dubin Center: The Dubin Center for short. Their mission is to achieve caregiver health, strength, and resilience by providing education, information, hope, and compassion. And boy do they. I leaned on them for everything I could find. Took all kinds of classes to learn what I needed to do to be the caregiver I have to be. Their caregiver class took about 6 weeks. The material we learned from, and the instructors, were top-notch. I still go back to the notes I took, and the books we used: both as refreshers and inspiration. Hopefully, no matter where you are listening to this, there will be a place like the Dubin Center. If not, don’t despair. The info is out there. That’s what this podcast is about. We’d like to share our resources, our experiences, our heartbreak, and our little victories. From time to time, we’d like to bring in Physicians, Nurses, Experts, and people like you and me, who are going through this disease with our loved ones who are willing to share their journey. The first thing that really stuck with me, and hopefully it will be with you. If you are a caregiver, you must first take care of yourself. Because this is not a sprint, but a marathon. And if you are run down, get sick, or worse.... Who’s going to take care of your spouse, mother, father, or child? Think about that for a few seconds. It’s you, the Caregiver. It’s me the Caregiver. That’s why we’re here. Gut Punched: Alzheimer’s & Caregivers! Thanks for joining us...now let's get going.

Welcome back, caregivers, fighters, and listeners walking this tough road with love and grit. In Episode 76, host Jeff Edwards dives headfirst into the gut-wrenching yet vital world of Alzheimer’s and caregiving, where the emotional toll is real, but so is the power of community, knowledge, and self-care.

💥 This week’s episode hits hard and informs even harder with three must-know articles making waves in the Alzheimer’s world:

• The FDA has cleared the first-ever blood test for Alzheimer’s screening in primary care—what this means for earlier diagnosis and better outcomes.

• Why are women at a higher risk of Alzheimer’s? We unpack the science and the implications for future research.

• And a wake-up call: Even light drinking may increase dementia risk. We dig into the new study that challenges old assumptions.

But that’s not all...

🔥 Jeff brings it back to the core tenets of GutPunched, the rules every caregiver needs to survive this relentless journey:

• Take care of YOU first.

• You cannot do this alone.

• Make your lists. Use your lists. Get things done.

• Create help signals that bring dignity and trust into caregiving.

💜 Whether you love caregiving or feel like it’s swallowing you whole, this podcast reminds you: it’s your life, until it’s not. So give it your all, and remember, you are not alone.

🌟 If this episode hits home, share it. Leave a 5-star review. Spread the word to friends, family, or anyone watching someone they love slowly fade into dementia. There IS help. There IS hope. That’s why we’re here.

👉 Let’s do this. Episode 76 starts now.

Navigating the insidious illness of Alzheimer’s is something nobody asks for. The disease sneaks up on you and your loved one, and it feels like you’ve been sucker-punched in the gut when you get the diagnosis from a doctor. So many things race through your mind: why us? What do we do? We worked so hard to get to this point in life. We just moved here after we both worked for 30 years, sold our house up North, and retired to Florida to enjoy our “golden years”. It’s not fair! Who’s going to take care of her/him? I don’t know a thing about this illness. She’s always done the cooking; I don’t even know how to boil water. He's always taken care of me and everything else like Finances. I don’t even drive! And it goes on and on. Facing this disease will bring you to your knees. Once you get over the initial shock (GUT PUNCHED), the questions and fears take hold. Where do we turn for help? Who do I call? What do I do? How do you take care of someone with Alzheimer's? Are there support groups? And questions like these just keep coming. I am a caregiver. I wasn’t before. Well, not this kind of caregiver. My wife was officially diagnosed in January of 2018. I had a sneaking suspicion that she might have something like this about 2 years earlier. So, when I brought it to my Neurologist, he sent us to a very nice Psychologist who specializes in testing patients to determine more accurately what is going on. It was a question-and-answer session, followed by a very detailed testing procedure that usually takes 3 or more hours. The patient has to complete the test comprising of questions, simple actions, and memory tests, then give them a couple of numbers or words then move on, going back to the numbers or words a short time later. 

In this deeply personal episode, Jeff Edwards continues his journey with his wife’s rare and severe reaction to Alzheimer’s medication. After a terrifying hospital stay involving brain swelling and bleeds, Jeff shares powerful lessons learned about home health care, insurance, and pre-crisis planning.

From creating a list of home health providers to ensuring your insurance covers the right services, Jeff’s lessons are invaluable for anyone caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Plus, get insights into the critical connection between gut health and Alzheimer’s risk, with tips on brain-boosting diets.

Key Takeaways:

• Why reading the fine print on insurance documents can make all the difference.

• How to prepare before a health crisis strikes.

• The importance of self-care as a caregiver.

If you're supporting someone with Alzheimer's, this episode is a must-listen.

👉 Tune in NOW on Podcast Playground, PodBean, Apple, Spotify, Pandora, GUTPUNCHED.COM & more!

GutPunched: Alzheimer’s & Caregivers – Episode 72
Part 3: My Wife is in the 1%

In this powerful and personal episode of GutPunched: Alzheimer’s and Caregivers, host Jeff Edwards continues the deeply emotional journey of navigating life after his wife experienced a rare reaction to an amyloid-clearing Alzheimer’s medication, putting her in the 1% of patients who suffer significant side effects.

Jeff opens up about the hard lessons learned during hospital visits, interacting with doctors, and managing crisis moments in caregiving. From the critical need to carry medication lists, to having a go-bag ready, Jeff shares practical, battle-tested advice that every caregiver should hear, wisdom he wishes he’d known sooner.

Also in this episode:

• A discussion on bad habits that can hurt your brain

• Recognition of World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and the global efforts on September 21st to raise awareness and fight the stigma of Alzheimer’s

• A reminder of the 5 core tenets of caregiving that GutPunched lives by—offering guidance, hope, and solidarity to listeners facing similar challenges

Jeff’s message is clear: You’re not alone. Planning, preparation, and asking for help aren’t signs of weakness; they’re lifelines. And by sharing his story, he’s helping others become more informed, more prepared, and more supported.

Stay tuned for Part 3, where Jeff discusses his education with in-home physical therapy and navigating the maze of insurance companies.

If this episode helps or resonates with you, subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with others walking the path of Alzheimer’s and dementia caregiving. There is help, and there is hope.

In this heartfelt and candid episode of GutPunched: Alzheimer’s and Caregivers, host Jeff Edwards opens up about the unexpected challenges that life threw his way. Originally planned as a thoughtful interview with a Very Special Caregiver, the episode takes a different turn when Jeff shares a deeply personal and emotional update on his wife’s health.

Jeff’s wife experienced a severe side effect from an amyloid-clearing drug, resulting in brain swelling and a brain bleed, leading to hospitalization. For a brief period, she lost the use of her left arm, leg, and vision in both eyes. Jeff reflects on the intense fear and uncertainty of the situation, offering thanks to the dedicated doctors, nurses, and the powerful network of prayer warriors who supported them through this crisis. The episode's tone is warm, serious, and raw, as Jeff expresses his gratitude for the care his wife received, and assures listeners that a more in-depth discussion will come in a later episode.

Despite the setback, GutPunched carries on, delivering valuable resources for caregivers facing their own struggles. In a condensed format, Jeff shares insightful articles highlighting advancements in Alzheimer’s research, offering hope for those living with and caring for loved ones affected by the disease.

In true GutPunched style, Jeff revisits the podcast’s essential tenets for caregivers, emphasizing self-care, the importance of asking for help, and utilizing a network of support. He also introduces the idea of a “Help Signal,” a simple yet effective way for caregivers and their loved ones to communicate and ensure that help is received with ease and comfort.

This episode may be shorter than usual, but it’s filled with the same compassion, understanding, and practical advice that make GutPunched a vital resource for caregivers.

Remember, you’re not alone—whether it’s the hard days or the good days, you’ve got a community here to lean on.

Stay tuned for the upcoming full interview in the next episode!

In Episode 66, host Jeff Edwards reflects on a week that was “mixed, but mostly positive” — a theme echoed in the episode’s encouraging developments in Alzheimer’s research and caregiving support. Jeff shares personal insights from a busy week, including a promising meeting that may bring exciting news for the podcast’s Hispanic audience, and another eye-opening caregiver support meeting.

While a planned segment featuring “A Different Kind of Caregiver” wasn’t ready in time for this episode, Jeff promises its arrival in the next installment. In the meantime, Episode 66 delivers a compelling lineup of new studies and stories:

• 🎶 Music and Brain Health: A new study suggests that playing a musical instrument may slow brain aging.

• 💊 Hope on the Horizon: A cancer drug combination shows potential to reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms.

• ⚠️ Medication Alert: A common chronic pain medication is now being linked to dementia.

As always, Jeff revisits the core GutPunched Tenets, offering practical, heartfelt advice for caregivers — from self-care reminders to strategies for building a reliable support network and creating a help signal for loved ones.

This episode also highlights vital resources like:

• The Dubin Center (dubincenter.com)

• Alzheimer’s Support Network (alzsupport.org)

• The Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Navigation Service – Call 855-271-2662 for free, personalized support

• And the newly formed GUTPUNCHED Facebook Group

Jeff closes the episode with gratitude for the community helping to grow the podcast, and a heartfelt reminder: There is help and hope out there—you just need to know where to look. That’s why we’re here.

📧 Reach out: gutpunchedAC@outlook.com or jeff@gutpunched.com
🌐 Learn more: gutpunched.com

The Nose Knows: Smell test for Dementia; Dieting Can Be Helpful in Middle age to lower dementia risk, & Hurricane Season Preparedness for Dementia Caregivers

In this episode, host Jeff Edwards brings a powerful mix of information and compassion to caregivers facing the challenges of Alzheimer’s. 

This week’s episode dives into three key topics:

• The Nose Knows: How a simple smell test may help detect early dementia.

• Food for Thought: The impact of improving your diet in middle age to help lower dementia risk.

• Storm Season Preparedness: Hurricane readiness tips specifically tailored for dementia caregivers—practical, essential, and potentially lifesaving.

As always, Jeff reminds listeners of the four foundational rules of caregiving—prioritizing self-care, asking for help, using your support lists, and creating a reliable help signal to ease transitions for your loved one.

Whether you're deep in the caregiving trenches or preparing for the road ahead, this episode delivers practical insights, a touch of humor, and heartfelt encouragement to keep going.

Host Jeff Edwards brings a quick-hit, high-impact episode this week on GutPunched: Alzheimer’s & Caregivers. After deciding to shorten a few upcoming episodes for a bit of recharging time, Jeff still delivers valuable insights for caregivers and those affected by Alzheimer’s.

In this episode, Jeff spotlights the Alzheimer’s Association’s new app, My ALZ Journey—a powerful, user-friendly mobile resource designed specifically to support individuals living with early-stage dementia. Learn how this app can provide practical help and support anytime, anywhere.

Then, Jeff turns to one of his favorite topics: the healing power of music. Discover how music can help soothe depression in dementia patients, offering emotional relief and connection when words may fail.

As always, Jeff reminds listeners of the core principles of caregiving:

1. Take care of yourself first.

2. Don’t go it alone—seek support.

3. Make and use your help lists.

4. Create a “help signal” for your loved one.

Whether you’re a seasoned caregiver or just starting your journey, this episode is packed with accessible tools and heartfelt encouragement.