Altered taste, hearing and smell

Lgb35

DH is in the early stages and is constantly complaining about things smelling “different” or all his food tastes like crap. He is also complaining of not being able to hear very well. We have had a hearing exam with an audiologist, an ENT, and our primary. They don’t see anything. Is this part of the process? Have any of you experienced this

Carl46

This can happen. Smell and hearing happen in the brain, which receives input from the nose and ears, so if that part of the brain is affected, the perception of odors and sounds is altered.

People only taste four things: sweet, sour, bitter, and salt. All the rest is smell. A person without a sense of smell can't tell an onion from an apple in a blindfold test. And loss of smell is very common in PWDs, with the result that they don't enjoy their food very much.

H1235

My mil had no sense of smell. She never talked much about taste. My mom has turned into a very picky eater. I’m not sure if it’s taste or texture. I don’t think either had their hearing affected.

harshedbuzz

@Lgb35

The brain interprets all sensory input, so if a region of the brain that deal with one is impacted by the disease process this can happen.

Many PWD find their palate changes. A move towards sweets is classic. Sometimes complaints about flavor seem to be more about challenges with eating food that require fine motor skills of cutting and getting onto a fork which can be impacted by spatial reasoning.

Something similar can happen with "hearing". Sometimes the testing is normal, but the part of the brain needed for comprehension is compromised. Focus can be impacted as well, meaning a PWD might not be able to attend to what is being said.

HB

trottingalong

My husband cannot smell or taste. He never liked or cared to eat anything spicy in the past. Now he pours on a spicy sauce we have on everything so food doesn’t taste like cardboard. Food he has always liked, he dislikes now. Sugar is his go to thing now.

CindyBum

I remember a two-year period where my MIL with dementia piled pesto on everything as her sense of taste and smell started going away. She also wanted sweets in a big way that entire time.

Timmyd

My DW taste in food has changed significantly throughout the course of the disease. She used to be rather adventurous with spice and flavor and also eat reasonably healthy. These days she completely avoids any spicy foods and would eat cookies and ice cream for every meal if I let her.

Bluebird

Most of my husband’s senses are affected by his Alzheimer’s. He seems to be more sensitive to sight, sound, taste & smell. I did some research and found an article that said that as the brain becomes damaged it may not be able to interpret the info it gets from the different senses. The person’s actual senses can be normal but the brain doesn’t know what to do with the info so the PWD may not receive the info from their brain. For some people they may seem to lose some of their senses. For others, like my husband, they become over stimulated and agitated by their senses. For me it means I can only take my husband to places that are quite and calm. I have to cook foods that have little or no smell or taste, except of course sweets. And our house is dimly lit with all the curtains and shades closed.

Anna2022

My DH sense of heat and cold has changed. Now he finds things so very hot to the touch that I find mostly warm. It's interesting to read that his senses might be OK but that the brain can't interpret well! I also find that his desire for sweets has grown as you all have mentioned.

rwsel1

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/72644/altered-taste-hearing-and-smell

My DW has lost her sense of smell, but it doesn't effect her appetite and after 79 years has developed a sweet tooth. She also appears to not hear well but I wonder if part of that is not paying attention to what I'm saying. Also appears to have trouble reading, but reads all the signs we pass in the car or walking but keeps trying to connect the first part of the first word to the second part of the second word. It's soul destroying what this disease does to the mind.

Lgb35

thanks everyone! I was starting to go crazy listening to how his hearing is messed up and something is wrong with his ears. I have had them checked and all seems good. The taste is also an issue. He craves sweets but everything I cook tastes like “shit” even things he loves

CampCarol

I too had DH’s hearing checked, and it is fine. Thank you @HB for the insight re the potential ‘brain block’ on comprehension. That explains what is most likely happening here. He is also only eating about half of what used to be ‘normal’. I am going nuts trying to figure out what I can offer him - he is refusing most of what he used to enjoy. Just another hurdle to jump on this journey…