Ten Signs It’s time for your aging loved one to be evaluated for additional care needs.
#3 The “Sniff Sniff, I Smell Something” Syndrome
Have you ever walked into a home and immediately known there is an animal? You don’t immediately see the cat or dog, but you ‘smell’ their presence. After a short while they present themselves to you and cuddle you and you get their full essence and the ‘smell’ kind of goes away. It’s the same with people. We all have an essence about us. It may be lingering perfume or cologne or our laundry detergent. Pheromones I think they are called in the scientific community.
My mom sure had hers. I remember my associate getting into my car one day, and she kept sniffing, she thought she had forgotten to use deodorant or something. Of course, she smelled just fine, lovely actually. She had on great cologne and she always looked impeccable, so finally I went to her side of car and sat in that seat. I immediately smelled Mama!
I had taken her to the store only a day before. I told her “Oh that’s mama”. We searched further and found the scent was coming from the seat belt. I remember saying, I was going to have to cut the belt out and keep it, because one day I would want to smell her essence when she was gone.
This is normal, we all have our own personal signature, you probably will go to mom and dads now and sniff about, and that’s exactly what I want you to do. Know their scent, because, you will want to know when that smell changes.
It could mean they are having difficulty with incontinence and this is nothing to ignore. It will lead to big problems. If you begin to smell ammonia, strong ammonia, if could mean that they are having accidents (which is unhealthy) or worse, are beginning to cultivate a urinary tract infection.
Notice the clothing. Did they change clothes today? Do they have stains on the chairs? Is their scent changing, and not for the better. You can gently and respectfully guide them into depends and how to use them if you are aware of their situation. This is an embarrassing time for them, so if we are aware we can help them keep their independence.
– askjaynie.com