Elder Care La Costa CA
Elder care can be a challenge at times, but understanding the changes that seniors go through can make it easier for family members to help their loved one. An altered sense of smell is one such change. While it may not seem as significant as other issues, a changing sense of smell can be a serious problem. Seniors may not be able to smell smoke in an emergency or know when food has gone bad.
The National Institutes of Health reports, seniors often aren’t aware that they have an issue relating to their sense of smell. Typically, men have a decreased sense of smell more often than women, with 25 percent of men aged 60 to 69 having a smell disorder, as opposed to 11 percent of women in the same age group.
Types of Smell Disorders
According to the NIH, there are various types of smell disorders. This includes:
- Presbyosmia – This type of smell disorder is the loss of smell related to aging
- Hyposmia – This disorder is a reduced sense of smell relating only to certain odors
- Dysosmia – This type of smell disorder is a change or distortion of certain smells
- Anosmia – This occurs when a person cannot smell at all – this is fairly rare
- Phantosmia – This disorder occurs when a person smells things that aren’t there
At times, a decreased or changed sense of smell is the result of a medical condition. This can include serious conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or MS. However, issues such as obesity and diabetes can also cause a change in a person’s sense of smell. Always report any changes in the senses to a physician in order to rule out serious medical conditions.
Eating and Smell Loss
A decreased sense of smell can lead to various types of dangers, some of them surprising; such as malnutrition. Because a person’s sense of smell is closely linked, not only to what they eat but how they eat, a loss or change can make food less enjoyable. Some common changes in eating habits that occur with smell loss include:
- An increased intake of unhealthy foods like sugar or salt
- Not eating enough
- Eating too much
- Problems with blood sugar levels
- Issues with cholesterol or high blood pressure related to changes in eating
Smell that changes or decreases with age is not preventable. Just as changes occur regarding a person’s vision or hearing, a change in the ability to smell is normal to some degree. Most often, changes in smell begin to occur after the age of 60, reports the National Institutes of Health.
La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Costa, CA, and the surrounding communities."]” data-sheets-userformat=”[null,null,767,[null,0],[null,2,10667209],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],[null,[[null,2,0,null,null,[null,2,0]],[null,0,0,3],[null,1,0,null,1]]],2,2,null,0]”>For more information about how the caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable elder care in La Costa, CA, and the surrounding communities.
Source
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/problemswithsmell/aboutproblemswithsmell/01.html
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