What causes old people smell? (And don't say poor hygiene!)
by 
The Gay Expositor Avenges His Lordship
ANSWERS: 22
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They are reaching their expiration date
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Dirty clothes and linens.
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well poor hygiene is a large contributing factor! it is easier to wash yourself when you are younger (you can wash more often, more thoroughly) and it gets to be really hard getting in and out of the shower. plus they dont realize that they smell because their senses are dulled. so they dont think that they have to bathe as much...it all adds up..
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ive often wondered about that, my dad was 85 when he died and he was very clean, bathed daily, did laundry once or twice weekly and was almost ocd about keeping his home clean. yet he had that old person smell,i dont know what causes it buti will keep watch on this question to see what others think...
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I thought I cautioned you to not say hygiene! Why do they smell differently than young persons with poor hygiene! ANSWER ME!!
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I think after many years of living in the same home (sometimes an older one) & all their possesions that have been with them so long clothing, furniture, books etc. that age maybe they smell a little like theese older things in their house. Just my opinion & a guess at that :) +5
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Diet,everything we eat gets processed and some part ends up in the sweat,urine,and solids,if you eat just one type of foods,drink only certain types of drinks,you'll eventually smell like those products,one way or another.
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I think its to do with kidneys and liver and some other organs not working as well as in younger people, toxins which cant be processed as well can be released via the skin pores, so it may have a smell.
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I have a very old dog. He smells like an old dog. I understand your question. My dogs' scents have changed with age. So I suspect it has to do with hormone levels and regeneration of tissues. As our bodies slow down, some of the cells that are dieing daily are not being replaced and just hang around. My dog also has glands that fill with bad smelling gland stuff. I think they were always there but with age they don't empty like they did in youth, so the stuff sits and begins to 'go bad'. He is also losing his teeth which causes a lot of bad odor. So, I think Steve Austin is correct! "They are reaching their expiration date" Good question!
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If you know somebody who is old and has a clean appearance and takes showers a lot ( with soap!), changes clothing everyday for clean ones and still smells, then it is the environment, the house or the rooms are not clean including the closets, wardrobe and drawers. There is no other explanation. You can believe me, I worked in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Centers. Some new residents thought the world would stop because they had to put all their clothing into a wash bag every evening.
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No clue, but if we don't die young, that is what we will smell like one day. (Why do you have "Avenges His Lordship" in your name?)
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age (Rotting)
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Prob. something to do with hormones changing. Or organs not working as well. Growing up I was told it was because they did not get out of the house much and kept the house closed up (heat/air inside) so the house did not get aired out. Stale air absorded into everything. -- I think there maybe something to that as my Grandmother never had that old people smell. But there were always people coming and going in and out all day long. She still does not have the op smell and she will be 91 in Jan.
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I've never noticed any "old" person who smelled badly.
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Many probably don't use a body wash or deoderant like others. It doesen't mean they are not "clean". And the body's pheromones change. Young people produce more attractant pheromones,..which are perceived as "nice" by others. Young people may not really be very "clean", though. You can't always trust the nose....
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I think there are a lot of good answers here. However, I have worked in 3 different nursing homes which were spotless, and I never smelled old people smell. But I know the smell from dirty homes, meds, etc.
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My experience has been they don't wear deodorant and take a shower and put on the clothes they were wearing. They think because they haven't done anything physical the clothes are still clean.
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Spicy question. A question that plenty of people have asked for the last 28 years. Some privy people could actually declare that you had better take heed when asking a question similar to this one.
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Years of bad diet. The body begins to deteriorate and an odor can be a tell tale sign. I have taken care of the elderly in my life and they did not smell any differently than other people.
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they produce a old people hormone that makes them smell that way so they can dominate there territory since there to weak. Im other words they use it to scare the others away.
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All people have a distinctive odor.Just as with other species of animals it is necessary to have the odor to tell one from the other.Though humans do not use smell to recognize another the latent instinct is still there. The body gives of pheromones a chemical odor to send out signals to others,and that is why perfumes were invented. Nothing can really mask the smell of a persons odor,not bathing,or covering it with deodorants and sprays.
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I think its the steady build-up over the years of Ben-Gay, Aspircream and Dove soap.
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