Changes in Smell: A Fact Sheet on Aging

Smell Changes:

By age 80, about 40 percent of people have difficulty in identifying common substances by smell

Smelling difficulties may produce these behaviors:

Not reacting to unpleasant odors
Nasal congestion
Comments – “Can’t smell the flowers”
Increased body odor – or over use of fragrance

Actions you may take:

Encourage smelling before feeding
Explain what foods are and encourage thinking of smell
Label items that look alike

Adapted from Sensitizing People to the Processes of Aging: The In-Service Educator’s Guide by Marvin Ernst and Herbert Shore, Dallas Geriatric Research Institute, 1977. Distributed by: Judith L. Warren, Ph.D., Extension Program Leader and Professor and Extension Gerontology Specialist, Family Development and Resource Management, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. 1995.

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Last updated: 16 September, 2009

Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.