Don't people know their sense of smell declines with age?
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
Canada
April 1, 2011 12:53pm CST
My daughter and I had a very rare morning out together today. What a treat! We got up early and went to a local breakfast restaurant. We were enjoying our meal when all of a sudden I smelled something SO strong... it was actually nauseating! It smelled almost like a floral air freshener spray, straight out of the can. I said to my daughter, "do you smell that all of a sudden??" and she nodded a bit over my shoulder. I glanced back and two older ladies had been seated right behind us. Both of them apparently bathed in their fragrances and the two were competing as to which one could "out-perfume" the other. I swear the smell was so strong that it actually changed the taste of my food as I was eating.
It occurred to me, though, that maybe people don't know that our sense of smell decreases as we get older. For that reason, perhaps these ladies routinely wear way more scent than people around them can tolerate because they themselves don't smell it. If we hadn't been near the end of our meal, I would have had to change tables because I had trouble finishing my food - and I don't have any perfume sensitivity or allergy at all. Do you have any older friends or family that wear too much scent... or on the flip side, do they not freshen up enough... because they just don't have the same sense of smell? How do you handle being around it?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
2 Apr 11
Wow..changed the taste of your food! That is strong. I don't have anyone around me like that but there used to be a woman at work that was very very strong. If you sit next to her, you could almost taste it..
I remember working on the assembly line when I first started and she walked by a fan...it was almost material the way it surrounded me. She wasn't that much older though.
I know someone that just had surgery because they could tell they had lost their sense of smell. He apparently had polyps in their sinus cavity. I guess it affects their taste too. He said it was amazing the difference.
I remember working on the assembly line when I first started and she walked by a fan...it was almost material the way it surrounded me. She wasn't that much older though.
I know someone that just had surgery because they could tell they had lost their sense of smell. He apparently had polyps in their sinus cavity. I guess it affects their taste too. He said it was amazing the difference.1 person likes this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
2 Apr 11
Wow, I've never heard of someone having surgery for that... how interesting! But yes, it was terribly strong and it just wafted over me and my daughter like a cloud. I guess because it's still on the cold side here and the ladies both had heavier jackets on, as they removed them and flung them over the chair backs, the scent really traveled. It must have been difficult being in a workplace situation like yours because you have to be around that same person every day. In this case, we were able to finish our meal and leave pretty quickly. Did you have to say or do anything about your co-worker or did anyone else? It can be such a touchy thing to try to deal with 
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
3 Apr 11
I think it's good that companies have policies about those kinds of things. I know people that think it's stupid or that it's an invasion of privacy and such... but there are some very real matters that impact on people being comfortable and able to do their job in the workplace and, if there are policies they can refer to in times of difficulty, it makes it all less personal and more about just following the rules.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
2 Apr 11
It is a very touchy thing in the workplace. There is a policy that employees can't wear perfumes or colognes though. So for the more drastic situations like this, they can confront it from that side. I ended up changing shifts after a little bit and she quit a while later. I'm not sure if they ever addressed it or not.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153529)
• India
2 Apr 11
I am not sure whether as one grows older their sense of smell gets affected but I do know that we all tend to get used to our own perfumes while others who get the smell for the first time for them it becomes unbearable. The same applies to odours in one's homes,specially if there are dogs around.The home people get used to the smell. I being very sensitive whenever any person visits me occasionally I ask that person if she gets any doggy smell and it consoles me if the answer is in the negative.
1 person likes this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
2 Apr 11
This is a very good point, allknowing! We do get accustomed to the things that we wear and smell all the time. I changed to a new fragrance some time ago and then, one day, I decided to wear my old favorite instead. I sprayed some on and I was shocked how much I hated the scent! I had worn that one for years and, when someone got close to me, they always said it smelled nice... but after using something different and going back to it, I found it was way TOO strong and I gave the rest of the bottle away.
You are right about the pet odors. Some people living with them every day seem to not notice anymore. A good friend of mine growing up had several cats. When you would visit their home, you definitely knew they had them because you could smell it as soon as you stepped inside ... but then I've been to lots of other homes where there are many pets present and you'd never know it. My sister, for example, has two cats and two dogs but she is also pretty obsessive in cleaning her home. You can't tell she has any pets until you see them because there is no odor.
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
1 Apr 11
It may be that they realize they just can't smell as good as they used to but are worried about their body odor being so overwhelming that they unintentionally overwhelm others by the smell of their perfume. I wonder if anyone has told the ladies that they smell so strongly as I am sure if they knew they would feel embarrassed and most likely try to do something to relieve the strong smell.
1 person likes this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
1 Apr 11
What I'm thinking is that, maybe in their case, they might live alone and have no one close by to let them know? And, being together, they both had such powerful scents that maybe neither one noticed the other. I know I would never be able to mention such a thing to a stranger... but I've heard other people do it in the confines of a small space like an elevator or side by side office cubicles. I imagine that people with an allergy to perfumes and scents must have a very hard time of it.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
2 Apr 11
Now that you mention it, I do notice that it's always older people wearing too much perfume or cologne. I actually didn't know that our sense of smell declines as we age. Hopefully I'll keep that in mind when I'm an old lady!
@savypat (20216)
• United States
1 Apr 11
Because I can no longer smell well, hey that rhymes, I just use bath soap, and body lotion for my perfume. I even need to have some one else taste my cooking to make sure it has enough spice. I use a light hand on that also because I am worried I will overdue it.
1 person likes this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
2 Apr 11
That sounds like a nice combination, savypat. There are so many nice scented bath products now that leave a pleasant fragrance on the skin without being overpowering. You raise a good point with cooking too... I remember my mom got to a point where her cooking got very bland because she was afraid she was overdoing the spices but she actually wasn't using enough. She used to call me or my sister to the kitchen to help taste-test... which wasn't the worst job in the world either! 
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
2 Apr 11
Oh I so agree with you and perhaps because I am very smell sensitive. I only use one type of perfume for years because I really can't take too many different scents.
But I have had moments at a restaurant where I can instantly smell the different scents and in my opinion so horrid that I too feel nauseated and disgusted. I have had to immediately leave because I have had my share of spending time in the ladies room throwing up and with a headache that I cannot risk that one again.
I don't really have family or friends that over scent but can tell you of one or too that under freshen up and that is something I cannot take. Because they are close family and or friends I have said something but mostly because I did not want someone else to hurt their feelings. Not an easy job some get offended anyways.
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
2 Apr 11
I can imagine it must be very difficult for you, hardworkinggurl. I left the restaurant with a headache and I normally have no problems with fragrances. This time it was unfortunately just too much and too close because one of the ladies was seated back to back with me.
You are right that it's almost impossible to discuss these matters with others because it's embarrassing on both sides of the conversation and people DO get hurt. I worked with a senior gentleman in an office situation many years ago and he had just terrible body odor. No one wanted to be anywhere near him. Eventually, it got so bad that the whole office area had an unpleasant odor. Someone went to Human Resources about it and the VP called the man in for a meeting. It improved a little bit after that but, up until the time I left the company, it was still a problem. Because the man didn't smell it himself, he didn't believe it to be an issue.
