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Elderly parents

Ageing mum has started to smell - worried

54 replies

Squirrel81 · 19/08/2024 18:30

I’ve not really ever been around old people much until now because my grandparents died when I was very young so this is new to me.

My mum is in her 70s now and the last two times I’ve seen her she’s had an almost sewegy smell or a bit like something is rotting. It sounds so awful to say and she is the cleanest person ever so I know it’s not bad hygiene. She seems healthy but I don’t know if she gets regular doctors check ups. She’s also still all there mentally.

Has anyone else experienced this and what could it be? Could it be something worrying? I am a worrier. We have poor communication in our family and I don’t know whether to raise it or if it will just make her feel bad when she can’t do anything about it.

I am pregnant, tired, stressed, a lot on my mind and adding this is taking its toll.

OP posts:
SoloSofa24 · 19/08/2024 18:35

I would guess a combination of hypersensitive nose due to pregnancy, plus possibly the start of 'old person smell' https://www.agingcare.com/articles/old-person-smell-174839.htm, which is actually a real thing.

It is also possible that your mother is starting to experince continence issues, and her declining sense of smell with ageing means she doesn't notice any odour. Does she have any other regular visitors you could discreetly ask if they have noticed anything? Or you might just have to wait until you have had the baby and see if the smell magically goes away...

AngryLikeHades · 19/08/2024 18:34

This might be completely untrue, but could it be a forgotten tampon?
You say she's the cleanest person you know, but we can all forget that no matter how clean we are. Sorry if that's not the case/TMI. xxx

TaylorSwish · 19/08/2024 18:31

Could it be the pregnancy? I hated the smell of my MIL when I was pregnant, it used to make me feel sick, when the baby was born she smelt ok again I still don’t like her

Supermacs · 19/08/2024 18:31

It could be your sense of smell has changed due to pregnancy hormones, it's pretty common?

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