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Have you been affected by smell loss? Would you like to connect with other people that understand? Then join us for our next #LetsTalkSmellAndTaste Acquired Anosmia Support Group. Hosted by Tom Laughton and SmellTaste volunteers, this event will provide you with an open, supportive and relaxed environment to share and discuss your thoughts and feelings about acquired anosmia.

TOPIC: Acquired Anosmia Support Group

HOST: Tom Laughton & SmellTaste Volunteers

DATE: Thursday 20 April 2023

START TIME: 19:30 UK TIME
(PLEASE CHECK: 20:30 CEST, 02:30 AWST, 04:00 ACT, 04:30 AET, 14:30 ET, 13:30 CT, 12:30 MT, 11:30 PT).

FORMAT: Open Discussion

CONDUCTED ON: ZOOM (The ZOOM link will be sent with the ‘Joining Instructions’ for this event)

DURATION: 1:00 HR (Approx.)    

Acquired Anosmia Definition: The loss of the ability to smell from any causation.

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Our sense of smell is our early warning system for hazards such as gas, smoke and spoiled food. Yet we often take it for granted and don’t appreciate the vital role it plays in our lives.

The Priority Services Register (PSR) can help.

If you have a poor, altered, or no sense of smell you can sign up to the Priority Services Register – a free support service that makes sure extra help is available to people in vulnerable situations.

For more information on the Priority Services Register (PSR) click here, or to join complete this registration form provided by Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network and SmellTaste’s partner.

SmellTaste is working with Cadent, to highlight the essential role that smell plays in our health, wellbeing and safety and enable people with a poor, altered or no sense of smell to stay safe and well at home.

Download our safety leaflet below to read our advice and follow some simple steps to help stay ‘SmellSafe’ at home.

Join us for our SmellTaste Members get-together

Thurs 11 May 2023, 10.00am – 12.30pm

FREE to SmellTaste Members

Living with a smell and / or taste disorder can be very challenging and can often leave people feeling isolated and misunderstood by those around them. This will be an opportunity for members with a smell and / or taste disorder to chat with others living with a smell or taste disorder and to meet with some of the SmellTaste Team.

Professor Carl Philpott will join us for a Q & A session before he opens our two-day symposium for clinicians and researchers with an interest in smell and taste disorders.  Please be aware that the Prof will not answer any personal medical questions.

Event schedule:

10:00 REGISTRATION *

10.15 WELCOME – Duncan Boak

11:00 Q&A with Prof Carl Philpott

12.30 END

* Tea & coffee will be provided.

Please note, due to room capacity, places are limited to 40 SmellTaste members. Please don’t register unless you are sure you can attend.

Thank you. 

Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-fifth-sense-members-forum-2023-tickets-608682986197

Duncan, Sarah and volunteer Kirstie Goodchild delivered an education session on smell and taste disorders for a group of Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists. The webinar was part of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and Chartered Society of Physiotherapists ‘Let’s Talk Long Covid’ series.

This two-day event (11-12^th May) is perfect for clinicians and researchers interested in olfaction, gustation and chemosensory disorders. In addition to lectures, there will be practical demonstrations and interactive workshops for attendees to get involved in. The symposium will be a hybrid format enabling those to attend in person or online via Zoom. CPD points will be awarded for each day of attendance. Lunch and refreshments will also be provided for those attending in person, with an optional course dinner on the Thursday at the Assembly House, Norwich.

Website:  https://rhinology-group.uea.ac.uk/smell-and-taste-symposium/

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Debs Davies to the SmellTaste Trustee Board. Debs, who has congenital anosmia, came across SmellTaste about 5 years ago while researching about her condition. She’s been an ambassador since 2021 and has a particular interest in the mental health and well-being of people affected by smell & taste disorders.

Last week, SmellTaste CEO and Founder, Duncan Boak, was invited to Chester by the NHS Post-Covid Service (pictured above). Duncan spoke with members of the local Long Covid Support Group, who shared their experiences of smell and taste problems. It was clear that whilst some people’s sense of smell has recovered, others are still struggling with ongoing loss of smell and parosmia.

Yet so often we are told it’s something we just have to put up with or accept as part of the ageing process.

‘Smell training’ is a term used to describe regular, active, mindful smelling.  We know that some people experiencing smell loss or distorted smells can find it helpful. It can also help people with a functional sense of smell to make the most of what is often an undervalued sense. 

A research team from University College London (UCL) are currently looking for volunteers who live in London to participate in a feasibility study to assess how a digital device can be used at home for regular mindful smell training exercises.

The research team are looking to recruit people to two study groups:

Group 1:

People aged between 45-55 who currently have a reduced sense of smell.

Group 2:

People aged between 65-75 who consider themselves to have a functional sense of smell.

Our sense of smell is our body’s main early warning system for detecting dangers such as gas, smoke or spoiled food, but we often take it for granted.  Having a smell disorder makes people vulnerable to these dangers, yet there is a real lack of awareness of this issue across society and many of those who contact SmellTaste tell us they’re not given information to support their safety and wellbeing by doctors. Research has shown that as much as 5% of the population has significant olfactory impairment, yet people aren’t always aware that they have a poor sense of smell and routine testing is not undertaken, unlike for sight and hearing.

The results of the SmellTaste SmellSafety survey, due to be published in Spring 2023, has highlighted that a majority of people with a smell disorder, including those living with ongoing post-Covid smell dysfunction, have concerns about their safety. Of greater concern is the significant proportion of respondents who have had safety scares at home involving gas.  We’ve heard from SmellTaste members who have been alerted to gas leaks that they were unable to smell by neighbours; someone with post-Covid parosmia who could detect a ‘damp’ smell in the kitchen that turned out to be leaking gas; family members coming home to gas-filled kitchens after cookers or hobs have gone out.  Running through all of these stories is the worry and anxiety this causes; people tell us that their fears of being unable to smell leaking gas, or smoke from a fire, contribute to poorer mental health.  ‘The monster in the kitchen’ is how one person described their fear of undertaking the everyday task of cooking dinner.

It is clear that there is a significant issue here in terms of both vulnerability to dangers and impact on mental health that little consideration has been given to before the existence of SmellTaste. However, there are simple steps that people can take to stay safe at home, with awareness of the issue and of one’s own smelling ability being a key starting point.  SmellTaste is now working to address this issue, with Cadent’s support.

Rebecca has chosen a selection of wines to inspire us including a sparkling wine, white, rosé, red, a dessert wine and finally a fortified wine which we will enjoy with some canapés and a selection of West Country cheeses. The evening will consist of a tutored tasting of six interesting wines from around the world. It will be a fun and educational experience with which to impress friends and family.

We take our senses for granted, we savour fine wine and fine food. Imagine a world without smell or taste, without these senses how flat the world must seem.
SmellTaste is the charity for people affected by smell and taste disorders. Significant numbers of people in this country are affected by a smell and taste disorder which impacts their physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety. Often ignored and unheard, people living with impaired smell and taste can often experience mental distress through feeling disconnected from their loved ones and cut off from simple pleasures such as enjoying a meal or wine.

Event Details

Thursday 27th April from 6:30pm – 9pm

Tuckers Hall, 140 Fore Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3AN

Tickets: £45 per person

To book your tickets, go to: https://www.smelltaste.org.uk/events/wine-fundraiser/