Can you smell that?

Some of us as at one time or another take our senses for granted: touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. How would you feel if you were born without or to suddenly lose one of your senses?

A person not having their full senses can affect their well-being. It can take toll on an individual person’s daily life both physically and psychologically.

A person that has lost their sense of smell (Anosmia), may have had no sense of smell since birth. Or the loss could have came on gradually with such an illness as parkinsons, or suddenly, perhaps the person has had a traumatic brain injury.

For whatever reason the loss of smell for some can be extremely difficult to live with. A whole emotional journey that you would never really think of can be difficult for a person in everyday existence. For example living life as a family, that simple chocolate cookies baking in the oven, the wonderful aroma that is floating around the kitchen, have a taste says Mum, loss of sense of smell affects the way food tastes. But they taste it anyway. Oh yum yum!!

The emotional journey goes on, the alteration in taste can lead to malnutrition . Other problems in the kitchen through lack of smell can be highlighted if we didn’t set a timer certainly did not smell it burning — food safety. Whilst we are talking about safety, home saftey needs to be highlighted. Alarms should always be fitted, especially for gas.

A great number of people with clinical severe depression have no sense of smell. 90% of covid patients lost their sense of smell.

A physical and social problem is personal life hygiene. Some people become obsessed. Concerned about the body odour; worry they smell, bath and shower constantly. Don’t leave the house — reclusive. Or they become the exact opposite don’t notice the smell at all and go around with a pungent odour and no- one wants to be near them and they make no friends.

Another problem is social relationships, a person with no sense of smell worries continually about keeping their child safe and looking after their newborn with all their own issues.

Spatial Navigation

A great number of people with the loss of this sense say they feel lost. They don’t feel able to travel or guide within both familiar and new environments. for Example driving to work or finding their way around a new town.