Loss Of Aging Care And Problems With Taste

Aging Care and Problems with Taste

Most seniors over the age of 60 will lose some of their ability to taste. This is typically associated with a loss of the taste buds on the tongue and in the throat. The loss of taste is less common than the loss of smell, however, the loss of smell is directly tied to taste.

In general, people have five "tastes" that they experience when something comes in contact with the taste buds: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory. These tastes do not tell us much about the food we are eating, though. Most of what we experience with food comes from the texture, heat, and smell. According to WebMD, the combination of all these sensations results in what we call "flavor". Several studies showed that people who were blindfolded and inhaled a smelling salt to temporarily disrupt their sense of smell could not tell the difference between eating a slice of onion, potato, or apple even though their taste buds were perfectly operational. …show more content…
Gum disease, poorly cleaned dentures, and inflammation of the gums can all affect the way the body responds to food and drink. Interestingly, the National Institute of Health notes that the loss of taste can even be tied to a middle ear infection. Other times, medications a senior is taking for one ailment can cause additional problems. This is often the case with the loss of taste, since loss of taste of smell is a side effect of several types of medication. Aging care personnel can help your senior loved one schedule dental and hospital appointments should one of these issues