Senior woman smelling potted plant held by female caregiver at home
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The importance of senses in creating quality of life

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Moving from independent living into a care home can be a worrying and confusing experience for some elderly people. Leaving behind all the home comforts can create a sense of loss and loneliness which can be hard to deal with. For a care home, its staff and for the families of residents, there are some simple but very effective steps that can be taken to reduce the stress and make a resident feel more comfortable from day one.
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The psychology of smell

Senior woman smelling potted plant held by female caregiver at home

The senses play a vital role in helping a person to feel more at home – from the smell of the linen on a bed to the taste of a home cooked meal. These basic but important considerations in an individual's care can promote a happier and easier transition into a care home and help to promote an overall sense of belonging – crucial in contributing to a better quality of life for residents.

Smell is a very powerful sense, especially as eyesight starts to fail. Our sense of smell is more closely linked to memory than any of our other senses and it is highly personal. Smell is also highly emotive – evoking positive memories when we are exposed to them. The associations between smell and memory are typically formed when we are young and at our most impressionable so our response to them is a strong conditioned auto-response. Having a recognizable smell that is associated with home is reassuring. This could be anything from the smell of a particular detergent used on clothing and bedding to an air freshener that is used in an individual’s room. Research has demonstrated that our mood improves around familiar smells, and this will have a positive effect on a resident’s willingness to join in with others or help other people.

Familiarity of taste

Caregiver having breakfast with his client at cafe.

Being familiar with certain foods can impact our acceptance of that food and relates to the perception of taste and smell. It’s important when a resident is first entering a care home that either they or their family inform the care home of their likes and dislikes regarding food. All care homes are careful to ensure that they provide nutritious food options and avoid allergies but thinking about what will make a resident feel at home goes beyond the obvious. This could mean ensuring that a resident has their favourite foods in their first week in the care home to providing them with their favourite snacks between meals. It’s the small details that make a resident feel welcome and at home, helping them to settle more quickly into their new life.

Soothing sounds

Lifestyle portrait of elderly woman wearing headphones and using tablet to video call and watch streaming entertainment

Care homes are filled with unfamiliar sounds so it's important to consider what can be done to use sound to create a more familiar environment. From individual sounds in a resident’s room (such as a favourite radio station, TV show or music) to the comforting sounds of the care home such as a hum from the laundry or the sound of a busy kitchen area, all these noises can help to create a comforting environment for residents.

It's all in the touch

Aged woman touching clean and folded towels at laundry room

Very much aligned to smell is touch. Familiar sensations when a resident touches a fabric can help them to feel more at home. Soft linen on the bed, a scatter cushion brought from home, soft clothing fabric can all promote a feeling of security. It’s important that the laundry plays its role in this by using the utmost care when laundering personal clothing items, the same way it does for bed linens and towels. A soft, fluffy towel can make a resident feel comforted after a bath or shower and putting on soft clothing afterwards that is clean and smells wonderful will add to their overall sense of wellbeing. When it comes to ensuring a resident feels at home in a care home, the senses should all be catered for. Thinking about each touch point for a resident and making sure that your home is delivering the absolute best in a sense experience will help to enhance the overall quality of life for all residents.

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Sources
  1. 1.
    Nature: Unpicking the link between smell and memories https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01626-x
  2. 2.
    Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience Behavioral and Neurobiological Convergence of Odor, Mood and Emotion: A Review https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00035/full