I worked with a guy who had hepatitis – I’m not sure which kind, but he later died of liver failure – and he exuded a strong chemical smell, like benzene or something.
Apollo’s Towel, my mom wore a lot of polyester, and you’re right, those clothes didn’t get washed often. I think poly repels dirt and stains – almost like they’re ScotchGuarded, so they look clean when they’re not.
Old folks’ homes (sorry - residential carefacilities) smell like urine.
Unless the management has the sense to feed the inmates cranberry juice with every meal. It eliminates the urine odor. I had many nursing home meals when visiting my mom during her 4-year (life) sentence.
To answer the initial guess in lthe OP, yes, incontinence would be a major factor.
Younguns, buy long-term care insurance, now, while you’re young.
Interesting.
Sorry to hear that. My aunt’s just itching to get out of the care home but her flat isn’t ready for her.
I think bathing is an issue as well. Oftentimes taking a shower or a bath can be slippery, leading to injuries, compromising their quality of life. Therefore they are not as motivated to take showers or baths.
It’s laundry, plain and simple.
Take some really old clothes that have been worn over and over again a long time. Note that many times these clothes have been worn in temperatures that are far too warm for such heavy clothing.
Then wash 'em once every year or so whether they need it or not, and you’ve got old people funk.
It is. Read up through the whole thread and a reasonable range of causes are listed. Poor hygeine. Direct medical cause that produces unpleasant odor. Dirty clothing and surroundings. Mothballs. ( My mom uses mothballs and always has. So, that scent is on her clothing. )
The idea that people die very slowly and decay over years and years is a novel one. I’d not heard that. While medically that may be true, I suspect that someone rather late on in years who is only dying of old age might benefit from a vigorous showering.
The fear of slipping is quite real. Yet another great idea- and perhaps the cause of poor hygeine amongst the elderly. Additionally, might I suggest that for many folks in their 70’s -90’s, bathing daily was not the norm when they were raised. If you are 75, you were born in 1932- the Great Depression covered the earth and everything came dear. That included hot water.
Just a thought- there might be a cultural/historical element to what we consider to be less-than-stellar hygeine.
Cartooniverse
Oh hell yes. I grew up in the 50’s. None of the homes I was in (my own or friends’) had showers, just bathtubs. And I don’t remember any homes with more than one bathroom, maybe a bath and a half – full bath upstairs, toilet and sink downstairs.
So imagine a family with four or five people. Logistically it’s nearly impossible for everyone to bathe every day. Then there’s the issue of hot water. If mom did laundry that day, chances are there isn’t much hot water left.
So you have one bathroom, several people who need to use it (for things other than bathing), and people are going to “wash up” more often that they’ll take a full bath.
Same with laundry. With a wringer washing machine and hanging clothes on a line, you’ll wear your clothes longer between washings.
So how you doin’, AuntiePam?
I have been following this thread in trepidation, fearing it may apply to me. I am very aware of it having lost both my parents in their 90’s.
With regard to Aunty Pam’s suggestions. It is pretty much as you say, personal hygiene was much more difficult years ago. I grew up in a family of four with only one bathroom (separate toilet, luckily).
We did all manage to bathe daily though and I was a little extreme in that I rose early (03:30) and went in the bath, delivered papers, went to school, buggered around in the evening, as one does, then had another bath before retiring.
Showers were for millionaires and foreigners.
Having multiple bathrooms and showers/toilets does make it all so much simpler these days but how many of the elderly have the improved facilities.
My mum and dad did but due to frailty did not avail themselves quite as often as one would have hoped. Added to incontinence, medication and general clumsiness when eating they were often not quite as fragrant as one might wish for. Worse was their apparent unawareness.
Although the family pitched in, particularly my sister in law, bless her, it was impossible to keep ahead of them.
Addendum:
it was pretty usual in those days for people to bathe once a week - Friday night was ‘Bath Night’
May the saints preserve us!
I actually object to the use of the word “stench” in the OP…:: waves zimmer frame angrily::
We old codgers like to think of it as an irresistable aroma of highly sexed pheremones which the opposite sex find quite appealing.
This obviously accounts for the marriage of young nubile wenches to old antiquated buggers.
Either that or money smells much the same
Fresh out of the shower, as a matter of fact. ::bats eyelashes::
Most people know what body ordor smells like and I don’t see any mention of this in the OP. Although most of the above options may explain some percentage of the problem, I believe that the use of medicines either internally taken or used on the skin most likely explains most to the problem. My wife has a skin irritation that has persisted for over a year. There is only one ointment that gives her any relief and it smells horrible. One day at the grocery I noticed a women the smelled like that ointment and she must have used half the jar.
Health problems are a bigger part of growing old than anyone can imagine during the more youthful years. Despite all the problems related to being old the fact remains that almost all those criticizing “old people” (that is what this thread is all about) will end up senior citizens. Maybe y’all will be among the group that doesn’t, wouldn’t that be a welcome alternative. 
Why you DO appear fresh as a daisy !
: panting lightly, etc. :
Got Web Cam?
In my dear, sweet neighbor’s case, it is due to pride. She is 90 years-old and would rather die (and probably will) than have anyone take care of her. She’s rickety, half-blind, and can’t get upstairs to her tub, so she takes sponge baths on her good days. She’s lost some bladder control and often smells like urine (she probably can’t smell it due to loss of smell); she wears the same clothes over and over: again, an issue of having difficulty doing the wash.
If she knew that she and her home smelled she would be beyond humiliated.
I adore and admire her. I’m honored to go sit in her smelly living room and chat for a few minutes a day.
Let me add, lest it sound as if we’ve thrown her to the sharks: we take her dinner every night and go to the store for her daily. Her daughters-in law come by a few times a week to check in and do her hair. When the smell got unbearable last summer, one of the DILs lured Neighbor out to lunch and we all went in and cleaned and did refrigerator patrol (she saves leftovers for years!)
That’s so nice, Jennshark. I hope someone will do the same for me when I’m soaked in urine.
I’ve watched three grandparents die slow and undignified deaths with Alzherimer’s and every day I see little old proud neighbor sitting on her porch reading, my heart is grateful.