Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
This has been going on for about a month and a half. I can't get him to eat because he can't taste anything. Started right after he had a tooth removed. So lost and upset.
I just googled it and the three cases that I read about, all of the people had their taste return to normal, but it took between three months and a year. Evidently there can be nerve damage during the anesthesia process and it takes a while for the nerves to regenerate. Good luck with your husband. I'd talk to his dentist, to see if he has any ideas about treatments or ways to help. Does your husband have dementia?
Any chance hubby is using a tooth whitening toothpaste? That happened to me, once I got rid of the toothpaste everything started to come back to normal.
Yes, it would definitely be from a shot where they hit the nerve and that causes damage. If they use some kind of gas, it wouldn't be hitting any nerves. I'd call your dentist and explain what is going on to see what he/she says. Good luck!!
You might want to contact the dentist who removed the tooth, ask what anesthesia was used, and check it out for the side effects Blannie mentioned.
FF, I wasn't aware that tooth whitening toothpaste could cause that kind of an issue. Did you smell smoke as well?
Losing, did your husband ever take Amiodarone for a cardiac condition? It can cause loss of taste and smell. I don't know whether it could be triggered or accelerated by anesthesia, though.
GardenArtist, I don't recall smelling cigarettes, but I remember the whole incident scared the heck out of me.
There is a thing called "phantom smell" where someone smells something that isn't there.... the good thing is that eventually it will go away without needing any treatment :)
Or the smell could be because we are all now starting to use our furnaces due to the cooler weather... some forced air furnaces will blow out a burning smell which is the dust in the furnace. Some people can really smell it [I do] and others don't even notice it.
At least two kinds of dementia involve loss of ability to smell, and that indeed makes a huge difference in ability to taste. The fact that your husband's impairment came right after the dental procedure seems unlikely to be coincidence, however, and if I were a betting person, I'd place my bet on that as the cause. Keeping an eye out for any other odd occurrences that might be associated with dementia is prudent, but don't expend any worry over that possibility.
My husband, a real foodie, was really bummed that he couldn't taste food so well without a sense of smell. Things that helped were serving spicy foods very spicy, sweet foods very sweet, sour foods very sour -- in other words exaggerating the tastes in foods. Also focusing on texture helped. Some crisp food, some smooth food, some soft, etc. to keep the meal interesting.
From what other posters have said here, it sounds like your husband's problem may be temporary. I sincerely hope that is the case!
Let us know how this all works out. We learn from each other.
After I stopped smoking, I had the ducts cleaned to try to eliminate that source of the smoke smell in the house. You might want to do this, as it's healthy to do so anyway, as it removes allergens and dust/minute debris buildup in the duct work. However, if there was a smoker in the house, you may need to have the carpets cleaned and the walls washed to remove the nicotine and eliminate the odor. I'd do the duct cleaning, then carpet cleaning first, as the less expensive measure of having walls and ceilings washed, saving that for a last resort. I hope your husband's taste and smell senses will soon return to normal. Good luck. Kathy G.
Thanks Blannie. I Google when this f irst started and was getting so many things it could be till I guess I gave up. I think he started with smelling cigarette smell first then lost his taste buds. One thing I read said he probably really didn't lose his taste buds but rather his smell. Blowing my mind. How can you smell smoke if you can't smell.
Gardenartist My husband hasn't started any new medications nor is he on what you asked about. I did read medication could be the cause but what he is on he has been on for years. I guess this is why I keep going back to the tooth being removed. Actually they didn't use anesthesia though. They just gave him shots to numb the area. Does this give you anymore to go on? Probably not probably takes away :( I am really lost.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
FF, I wasn't aware that tooth whitening toothpaste could cause that kind of an issue. Did you smell smoke as well?
Losing, did your husband ever take Amiodarone for a cardiac condition? It can cause loss of taste and smell. I don't know whether it could be triggered or accelerated by anesthesia, though.
There is a thing called "phantom smell" where someone smells something that isn't there.... the good thing is that eventually it will go away without needing any treatment :)
Or the smell could be because we are all now starting to use our furnaces due to the cooler weather... some forced air furnaces will blow out a burning smell which is the dust in the furnace. Some people can really smell it [I do] and others don't even notice it.
My husband, a real foodie, was really bummed that he couldn't taste food so well without a sense of smell. Things that helped were serving spicy foods very spicy, sweet foods very sweet, sour foods very sour -- in other words exaggerating the tastes in foods. Also focusing on texture helped. Some crisp food, some smooth food, some soft, etc. to keep the meal interesting.
From what other posters have said here, it sounds like your husband's problem may be temporary. I sincerely hope that is the case!
Let us know how this all works out. We learn from each other.
See All Answers