The Truth Behind 'Old People Smell'

By Dr. Charlene Brannon

 

Many people are familiar with it: the grassy or greasy odor that permeates elder care facilities, grandparents' homes and other similar places. Commonly referred to as "old people smell," this odor is called "Nonenal," and it is widely misunderstood in the United States. 

According to a study published by the "Journal of Investigative Dermatology" in 2011, an increase of Nonenal is associated with aging. Found frequently in subjects aged 40 and older, but not in those under 40 years of age, Nonenal was the only body odor component with a significant change in the detection frequency with older subjects. 

Despite these findings, many people think that Nonenal is the result of poor bathing habits. Others believe that the smell, which is difficult to detect on oneself but lingers on pillowcases, shirt collars and other such fabrics, is completely impossible to combat. However, neither of these assumptions has any basis in fact; it is time to illuminate the truth about Nonenal. 

What causes old people smell?

Nonenal production is a natural by-product of the aging process. Caused by the deterioration of the skin's antioxidant defenses, Nonenal production usually begins around age 40 in both men and women, and may be exacerbated by hormonal changes such as menopause. 

As the skin grows weaker, its natural oils become oxidized more quickly; this is caused by fatty acids, which are secreted by the sebaceous glands and react to the oxygen in the air to form Nonenal. Because it isn't water soluble, Nonenal can remain on the skin despite washing, even remaining after intense scrubbing. Therefore, the smell caused by Nonenal persists, even in extremely clean environments. 

How do you get rid of old people smell?

Reducing Nonenal odor can be accomplished by following a healthy lifestyle: exercising regularly, avoiding stress, not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, eating a clean diet and getting enough rest. 

Certain ingredients can also help combat Nonenal, such as persimmon extract and Japanese green tea. Conventional soaps in the U.S. use deodorants to eliminate odors such as ammonia (caused by urine), trimethylamine and sulfide oxygen (caused by feces and urine), acetic acid (caused by sweat) and isovaleric acid (caused by feet). However, due to lack of understanding about aging odor in the United States, brands have yet to incorporate ingredients to address this issue. 

The truth about "old people smell" is: it's a natural part of the aging process, and no one experiencing it should feel ashamed. 

Instead, we should continue to promote dialogue about it, and ensure that anyone dealing with Nonenal is equipped with the information they need to adopt healthy habits and care for their skin effectively. Then "old people smell" can, and will, be a thing of the past.

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Dr. Charlene Brannon is the Product Development Manager for Mirai Clinical, a company devoted to developing ground-breaking, naturally safe body and skin care products. Dr. Brannon was a tenured professor at the University of Washington for 25 years, before joining the Mirai Clinical team.

Treating Menopausal Depression: What Works and What Doesn’t

Anne-Marie Botek at AgingCare.com
Editor-in-chief

For a natural process, menopause can be accompanied by a bunch of seemingly unnatural changes in biology, emotional wellbeing and physical appearance. Another unwelcome challenge for women during their transition out of childbearing years is depression.

Postpartum depression may get more play in the media, but menopausal depression is a common problem for aging women, according to Sheryl Green, Ph.D.,a psychologist with the Women's Health Concerns Clinic in Hamilton, Ontario and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at McMaster University. During the so-called "window of vulnerability" that occurs during menopause, women are four times more likely to develop depression, even if they have never experienced the condition before. For women who have previously grappled with depression, this risk is 13 times higher.

"The constant change and fluctuation of hormones (estrogen, progesterone) that occur during menopause is thought to increase one's vulnerability to mood disorders," says Green, mainly because the hormones that are changing are also the ones in charge of maintaining mood stability. Physical symptoms such as hot flashes and trouble sleeping can also play a role in elevating depression risk.
Antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs) and hormone therapy (low-dose estrogen) are two treatments that have proven effective in reducing menopausal depression, but such medications come with a few undesirable side effects and—in the case of hormone replacement—a potential increase in cancer and cardiovascular risk.

Drug-free depression treatments
After finding only a handful of scientific studies that investigated the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions for menopausal depression, Green set out to explore the potential of alternative treatments. "Additional non-pharmacological treatment approaches are certainly needed if a woman cannot or chooses not to take medications," she says.

Antidepressants are somewhat effective in easing depression symptoms about 50 percent time, according to Cheryl Myers, RN, an integrative health practitioner, author and expert on natural medicine, who was not involved in the study. But, she says, "These drugs carry a significant side effect profile that is not acceptable to many women."

For hot flashes and night sweats, Myers points to studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of natural interventions like standardized hop cone extract, standardized black cohosh and pomegranate. For depression symptoms, she says St. John's wort may be as effective as antidepressants, for some people.

There are, however, some important factors to keep in mind when taking a more natural approach to menopausal depression treatment. Myers cautions against going it alone, and she suggests seeking the expertise of an integrative health professional before taking any new dietary supplements.
With regards to psychological treatments for menopausal depression, after analyzing over 5,100 research studies on treatments for menopausal depression—Green and her colleagues concluded that there may be some other drug-free ways to combat the condition:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): According to Green, CBT can be just as effective as medications for treating depression, and it's an approach that tends to be more easily tolerated by patients. CBT, which can be delivered one-on-one with a psychologist or in a group setting, is all about helping people cultivate healthier thinking patterns. As Myers points out, "Even though negative thinking may originally be triggered by hormonal changes, people can learn to work actively to reframe negative thoughts to create a more positive experience." CBT often involves an exercise called "Behavioral Activation." Depressed individuals tend to isolate themselves from other people, and avoid the activities that used to bring them joy. "This problematic behavior continues the depressive cycle, depriving one of the ‘good feeling' that has been associated with these activities in the past," says Green. Caregivers can be especially vulnerable to this behavior. They may contend that there is no time for them to do the things they want to do because they're too busy taking care of their loved one. Behavioral Activation is all about gradually starting to integrate enjoyable activities back into a depressed person's schedule, no excuses.

Mindfulness: While it's certainly a buzzword in the health and wellness community—credited for being able to combat a number of different mental and physical ills—mindfulness has been proven to have a positive effect on people with depression. In some menopausal women, mindfulness-based therapies may also alleviate hot flashes. For information on how to foster a more mindful approach to both life and caregiving, see How to Break Out of a Mental Rut

Managing menopause's ups and downs
The menopause transition is taxing—physically, emotionally and spiritually. For women who are trying to meet the demands of caring for an elderly family member while undergoing these changes, their state of duress can be multiplied manifold.

Green and Myers offer some additional tips for coping with the change:

Know your enemy: The key to dealing with menopause, according to Green, is to learn everything you can about it. "I would also encourage her to talk to other women about their experiences going through menopause in order to help normalize and de-stigmatize the transition, as well as learn what type of treatments they have found helpful," she says.

Evaluate your options: Talk to your doctor about all available courses of treatment for menopause symptoms. "Because there are a number of effective options out there for treatment for both menopausal symptoms in general and depression more specifically, I would say it is helpful to evaluate all of them before making a decision," says Green.

Put yourself first: Because caregivers often adopt a "fix-it" mentality, they may begin to feel as though they have to do everything and be everything for their aging family member. But Myers says it's essential to put things in perspective and remember to take care of your needs as well. "It may be an overused axiom, but you cannot take care of others if you do not take care of yourself."

Avoid isolation: Steer clear of the desire to avoid social interactions with others. "Even if you're not in the best mood, or are tired, try to nudge yourself into a walk with friends or to lunch out with your favorite people," says Myers.

10 Scams Targeting Seniors and Tips to Protect Your Loved One

  Posted by Dreu Adams on Oct 9, 2014 4:30:00 PM

Elderly adults who live alone may be targeted by scams attempting to gain access to their finances. Elder financial exploitation becomes even more common if they are experiencing the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. If you are caring for an elderly adult, at some point you may find that your loved one is the victim of financial mistreatment. In fact, financial abuse happens to about one in nine elderly adults. Sadly, only about one in 44 cases is ever brought to authorities. Since nearly 90% of abusers are caregivers or family members, you may find yourself in a tough personal position while doing what is best for your loved one. As a caregiver, it is important to be aware of some of the financial scams that can occur and some ideas to keep your loved one safe.

• Healthcare/Medicare/Health Insurance Fraud- These scams can be perpetrated by healthcare professionals as well as others. It is important not to give a medical provider complete authorization to bill for services without review or understanding. Tell your loved one to keep his or her Medicare number safe and treat it as a social security number. Always have your loved one or yourself review billing statements to be sure they are correct.
• Funeral and Cemetery Scams- If your loved one is interested in making some advanced arrangements, he or she may visit funeral homes or cemeteries and end up making expensive purchases. It is easy for a funeral home to inflate prices or use the emotional vulnerability of the topic to encourage an elderly customer to spend unwisely. It is a good idea to accompany your loved one on trips to funeral homes and to discuss purchases before they are made. Typically, funeral homes are required to have a price list available so the cost of each item is visible. Also, you may want to sit down with your loved one before these trips and make a list or an outline of required items and services to avoid being pressured into extra spending.

• Counterfeit Prescription Drugs- Most commonly, this internet scam occurs when an elderly person goes online to look for “bargains” on drugs. In turn, the drugs received may not be what they were advertised to be and actually may be harmful. Make sure to research any online pharmacy before purchasing drugs through it.

• Telemarketing Scams - These scams will occur mainly via phone and will pressure your loved one to send money or give out financial information like a bank account number or credit card. Remind your loved one not to give out financial information over the phone and not to send money to unfamiliar people or places. As a safeguard, you may want to keep financial information such as credit cards and social security cards in a secure location in case your loved one becomes confused and forgets your advice. It is also a good idea to ask for written information about any charity or business that calls, like the specific location and/or business license number. Review additional tips for avoiding telemarketing fraud from the FBI.

• Fraudulent Anti-Aging Products- This scam will make unfounded promises to seniors about the abilities of anti-aging beauty products. Usually, these beauty products will be quite expensive and the buyer will almost always be encouraged to buy more than one product. Have your loved one take some time before purchasing anything that seems to have too many unrealistic qualities. Ask for the product name and offer to do a bit of research about it before your loved one decides to purchase. Many times, this is how you or your loved one can find out if the product was just a scam.

• Homeowner/Reverse Mortgage Scams- With this scam, your loved one may be told that money is owed or a large portion of his or her mortgage can be paid off. Or, there may be pressure to take out a large reverse mortgage. If you are concerned your loved one may be vulnerable to this type of trickery, encourage him or her to write down important information in any meeting and not to agree to anything until you have gone over information together to be sure it is not a scam. It is also a very good idea to remind your loved one never to give out any important financial information over the phone such as credit card numbers or social security number.
• Internet Fraud- If your loved one has access to a computer and the internet, it is likely that he or she will encounter an internet scam; common internet scams include an email that seems to be from a friend that is requesting money or a supposed business offering to sell something at an inflated rate. Remind your loved one to purchase items through reliable sources. You can also give the advice to give money to friends in person or as a check in the mail to a known address.

• Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams- These scams typically arrive in the mail and encourage recipients to either mail back money to enter or tells the recipient that he or she has already won and just needs to mail in money to cover the tax or other fees in order to redeem. It is important that you educate your loved one that these types of ploys exist before it is too late. If early dementia or Alzheimer's prohibit understanding, you may want to think about taking more control of the mail your loved one receives by forwarding the mail to a P.O. box and sorting through the junk mail before returning the rest.
• Investment Schemes- In investment schemes, elderly victims will usually invest in an unlicensed or fake business - typically a pyramid scheme. People are hooked by promises of large financial returns after a certain period of time. If these promises seem too good to be true, they probably are.

• The Grandparent Scam- In this scenario, the elderly victim is called and told that a grandchild has gone to jail and needs money to be bailed out. Have your loved one ask to speak to the grandchild if such a call is received and request relevant information such as the caller’s name and address. You also may want to remind your loved one that in the event of a grandchild’s arrest, the grandchild would place his or her own phone call.

While it is unfortunate that there are people who take advantage of seniors in our communities, it is important that caregivers are ready and prepared to help loved ones be careful and avoid scams. The scenarios above are some of the more “typical” scams, but there are many creative crooks out there – use common sense to help guide you and your loved one.

What is In-Home Care?

In-Home Care Options and How They Help

By Barbara Kate Repa, Caring.com Senior Editor 

What it does
In-home care is the term that broadly defines the various types of care and services delivered by individuals or agencies to those with mobility limitations or other frailties that make it difficult for them to leave home.
In-home care generally includes help from the following:

• Elder companions, who primarily provide friendly companionship and supervision
• Personal care assistants, who help with some chores and daily grooming
• Live-in care providers, who ensure a constant monitoring presence

How it helps
In whatever capacity the extra care is needed -- from periodic social visits to help with daily medication management to around-the-clock monitoring -- in-home care can help accomplish the goal of allowing a person to stay at home rather than move to a facility. For many people, staying at home among their possessions and in a familiar community is a primal urge and plays a big role in assuring a good quality of life.

What it costs
In-home care ranges in cost from free help from volunteers who provide assistance with visits and chores to live-in care that can run several thousand dollars or more a month for constant monitoring.