Older people scent/smell

I notice it in some charity shops around the clothes so assumed it was just one of those things that old(er) people get!

My mum (78) has 'the smell' but my dad who is two years older doesn't. I always thought it's because Mum had a stroke and isn't as mobile so doesn't wash herself as thoroughly as Dad who looks and moves like someone a good decade younger.

Thank you to the PPs who posted the biological reasons for it - made for some interesting and informative reading.

I have been around a lot of elder people and have never experienced this smell. I have known a few to smell because they needed help with self care and weren't getting it, but i have never experienced this old person smell. Never.

Does persimmon soap have a pleasant smell and does it resemble any other scent?

My father has this smell. It hits in a waft whenever I open the door to his bedroom and its foul. Its like a musky lanolin medicated smell. I hate it.
He showers, and i launder his clothes and bedding on a 60 degree cycle but I CANNOT get rid of it. Fortunately i can shut the door on it so it doesnt pervade through the rest of the house.

Funnily enough Google flagged this article to me this morning, before I'd even seen the thread: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/what-causes-old-people-smell-know-the-science-behind-it-and-how-to-prevent-with-a-single-superfood/amp_articleshow/122382370.cms

Mushrooms. Eating them, not washing with them

It's possible that she doesn't notice it herself.

Is your mum moving to a new house with you when you sell? If so this could be a very long term problem.

If she goes out and about independently can you just go in and thoroughly air her part of the house when she's out? All windows and doors open. Clean down surfaces, chuck bedding and pillows etc in the wash etc? Frame it as helping and wanting to get it spick and span for viewings. Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission....

I'd also look at getting a shower chair or similar for her to use. She may hate the idea of mobility aids but if it helps her to shower frequently again that sounds like it might help. Again I'd probably just buy one tbh.

I'd feel torn too as I've a very sensitive sense of smell but would hate to upset her.

I agree.

It’s not that she’s unhygienic, it’s a natural part of ageing. It’s like asking how to get rid of the ‘baby smell’ from a newborn.

I definitely wouldn’t say anything to her, it would probably upset her and in reality there’s only a limited amount she can do about it.

My Mother has the same. She washes etc and I do her laundry. She goes out and about a lot and is very independent with all her marbles. I did broach it and she was really offended.

I was vaguely aware of older people smell, but in reality my mum and stepdad (78 & 76) don't smell, DMIL didn't, and none of my age 60+ friends (or my husband) do!

But I'm 56 myself, so now I'm worried that I may start smelling!

I hope to reach my 80s (mum died in her 40s) but I definitely don't want to smell.

This thread has been informative.

Is anyone else sniffing themselves furiously? I had absolutely no idea 'old person smell' was A Thing

However, she did have a fall in the shower once, not too badly injured, but it must have been a shock and, since then, she has been worried about showering

You need to get her adaptations for the shower so she can sit and wash and feel comfortable showering without the fear of falling. https://www.careco.co.uk/soho-deluxe-folding-shower-seat/?productfeed=GSH&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=9889137354&gbraid=0AAAAADvLZE21QTyj-ZNbuhytoZdkkqOxy&gclid=CjwKCAjw1dLDBhBoEiwAQNRiQZI6zbms0Lp0RUzxPteAx_g5utU9fWBTQSE0Wij58vGVqHR0ySLsABoCROcQAvD_BwE

www.amazon.co.uk/Support-Suction-Disability-Bathroom-Elderly/dp/B0764CZ27C/ref=asc_df_B0764CZ27C?mcid=1bcd900628953a01a98512e521a77422&hvocijid=15574785984483285647-B0764CZ27C-&hvexpln=74&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15574785984483285647&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045541&hvtargid=pla-2281435177418&psc=1&gad_source=1

You can get grab rails installed, I know social service informed me they could fit such stuff that wouldn't mark the walls or tiles when taken off.

And there I was not wanting to spend another 30 pounds on a bag of mushroom coffee. Convinced me!

I read about this last week I think - Mushrooms! She needs to eat mushrooms 2-3 times a week to counter the stuff everyone's spoken about above that makes the smell.

Does she like mushrooms? Perhaps you could get her to try tablets/sneak mushroom powder into things she eats

Edit - I know that sounds mad, but just google Mushrooms/old person smell and it explains it all

Talking about an older person's smell, as though it's unnatural and unpleasant, does, indeed, make for an unpleasant thread. Even more so, if it is illness related.

I spent over an hour recently in a small room with multiple men and women in their 80s and 90s and there was no odour whatsoever, let alone an unpleasant one. I would discuss this with your mother's doctor/your doctor. It may be to do with her kidney disease, and also a level of incontinence may be involved.

You're a long way away from your 80's.
I hope to be lucky enough to have the scent one day.

It isn't a deeply unpleasant thread. It is just reality - not made up crap against old people, simply reality that we will all face if we are lucky enough. different stages of life bring different challenges. My mum who died in her early 80s was aware of the old person's smell and definitely didn't want to have it. Talking about it helped her.

The scent reminds me of my Nana long gone, that and lavender soap. 💜

Why so?

What a deeply unpleasant thread.

i guess it depends on her age and how she socializes. if 80 and leads a quiet life i would leave her be, but gift accordingly.
doing a good refresh/drum clean of the washing machine wouldn't hurt along with pomanders for closets and sachets for drawers.
gifting water bottles etc.

Can you try to use an essential oil diffuser to combat the smell, as an alternative to speaking to her about it? There are a wide range of oils with floral, woodsy, or herbal scents, as well as blends and DIY 'recipes' for combining oils. I haven't used them to cover this particular smell, but I do find them helpful when the house isn't as fresh as I'd like it and cleaning or airing out isn't doing the trick. I'd look for recipes for clean or fresh scents and give it a try.

Gosh - I am only 50 but will now be paranoid about this.

God I'm paranoid too!