Taste and smell

Olfaction declines dramatically with age. Taste is relatively robust. A variety of causes other than aging are known to produce declines in olfaction and to a lesser extent in taste. Many chemosensory deficits in the elderly cannot be attributed to age but rather to pathologic conditions. In addition to deficits, individuals may experience taste or smell phantoms. In many cases, losses and phantoms are untreatable but their effects on the elderly may be mitigated by appropriate coping skills.