Recover the sense of smell with a comprehensive rehabilitation program

Smell is part of the 5 senses that people have, along with taste, touch, sight and hearing. Despite being essential, anosmia - loss of the sense of smell - has a great impact on the quality of life of people who suffer from it. 2% of the world's population is born without this sense and it has been one of the least valued sequelae of Covid-19, according to the professionals of the Rhinology Unit, of the Otorhinolaryngology service at Parc Taulí.

Faced with this fact, the Dr. Alda Cardesín and the Dr. Aina Sansa, together with the otorhinolaryngology nursing team -with Elios Yuste at the head, a nurse expert in sensory rehabilitation, have developed a comprehensive program of olfactory rehabilitation. "Smell does not only connect us with our environment through aromas or flavors; it also influences our emotions, memories or safety. Because it ranges from detecting a gas leak or enjoying a meal. His absence can be devastating to the people who have lost him”, explain Dra. Alda Cardesín

During the 8 weeks that the program lasts, the four selected patients will participate in four individual and four group sessions. The nursing team adapts each exercise to the specific needs of each patient.

The rehabilitation groups are small to guarantee the personalization of the olfactory exercises and the monitoring of the protocol. "The activities offered to patients not only improve their olfactory ability; but also, integrate this training in their daily life. This fact has a direct and positive impact on their quality of life”, says Elios Yuste.

Science has shown that proper olfactory training improves olfactory perception and, in many cases, regains some of that lost sense. This program is innovative because each session is designed to stimulate the olfactory receptors through a selection of smells, in order to facilitate neural regeneration and sensory adaptation. "We take a pattern of smells and with their olfactometry of each patient, we personalize the smells that will be better and worse for that person to rehabilitate. In the individualized sessions, we do olfactory and emotional tests, to find out how this lack affects them. And, in the group sessions, experiences are shared and resources are offered to adapt to their day-to-day life”, highlights Dra. Cardesin

This rehabilitation program is not only a tool to regain a lost sense, but also a process of adaptation and acceptance of what has happened. "Thanks to training and support, from the rehabilitation group as well as from the family, patients learn mechanisms to identify certain smells and adapt to their new reality", adds Dra. Cardesin

The first two rehabilitation programs that have been carried out have been a success. Amparo is a patient who had not been able to perceive smells for months and had started to stop cooking for fear of not detecting food in bad condition. Now, she's back to cooking without fear. Maria Lluïsa has learned to use other senses to enjoy everyday life, rediscovering textures, sounds or colors that previously went unnoticed.

This rehabilitation program has two objectives. First of all, it wants to make known the great impact that the sense of smell has on the lives of all people and how it affects, physically and emotionally, the people who lose it. And, secondly, to offer hope and solution to patients with this problem, helping to perceive smells again and/or adapting to the new situation.