How scent-based stimuli may help patients reconnect with memories

Hyderabad: Dementia and Alzheimer’s Awareness highlights the growing global need for better understanding, early detection and dignified care for people living with cognitive decline.

While research often focuses on medication, caregiving systems and behavioural therapy, one lesser-known yet powerful dimension is the role of smell.

Unlocking memories

Fragrances like jasmine, sandalwood, filter coffee, incense, hair oil, and old books can unlock emotional memories even when names, faces, and timelines begin to fade.

In a condition where identity is gradually eroded, scent offers one of the simplest and most intimate tools to reconnect individuals with their personal history.

This article explores why smell is uniquely wired to memory, how caregivers use it, and what its limitations are.

Why smell has a direct line to memory

1. A shortcut into emotional memory circuits

Smell signals bypass many brain relay systems and reach the hippocampus and amygdala, the centres for memory and emotion, almost instantly. This gives fragrances the ability to evoke personal, emotionally loaded memories even when other forms of recall weaken.

Dr Asha Nair, a cognitive neuroscientist, speaking to NewsMeter, notes, “Smell doesn’t just remind people of facts; it brings back the emotional texture of a memory. That makes it especially important in dementia care.”

2. Early vulnerability of the olfactory pathway

The olfactory bulb is among the first brain regions affected in Alzheimer’s disease. Many individuals experience reduced smell awareness long before cognitive symptoms appear, making smell both a therapeutic opportunity and a potential early indicator.

How fragrance-based therapy works

1. Evoking emotional anchors

Individuals with dementia often lose autobiographical detail but retain emotional associations longer. A familiar scent can trigger comforting clarity not necessarily in factual recall, but in mood, orientation and sense of self.

Dementia specialist Samir Rao explains: “A familiar fragrance can ground a person instantly. The reaction is often subtle, a shift in expression, posture or calmness.”

2. Reconnecting with identity

Care homes increasingly use identity scents: personalised fragrances tied to a person’s childhood, marriage, work, or daily rituals. These help reinforce selfhood when memory becomes fragmented.

3. Supporting behavioural stability

Calming scents such as lavender, chamomile, and vetiver are used to ease agitation and sundowning, while sharper scents like citrus can improve alertness during daytime routines.

Practical ways scent is used in dementia care

1. Memory rooms in care facilities

Some facilities use diffusers and scent props in dedicated “memory rooms,” where residents engage in reminiscence activities supported by fragrance cues.

2. Household olfactory walks

Families can curate short sensory paths at home, the spice box, a drawer with perfumes, and incense used in daily prayers, to create simple recall and comfort moments.

3. Sleep-time scent stimulation

Gentle overnight aromatherapy is being explored for its potential to support orientation and improve morning transitions, though long-term effects are still being researched.

What the evidence suggests

These areas are showing promise:

• Consistent improvements in emotional recall

• Noticeable reductions in anxiety with calming scents

• Strengthening of personal identity cues

• Potential for early detection through smell testing

These are the current limitations:

• Not all patients retain enough olfactory sensitivity

• No standardised protocol on intensity, duration, or scent choice

• Risk of triggering negative memories

• Long-term cognitive improvement remains unproven

Geriatric psychiatrist Dr Vivek Subramanian emphasises, “Scent therapy works best when tailored. It is not about restoring memory fully, but about improving presence, comfort, and connection.”

Building a personal “Memory Scent Kit”

A simple scent kit can be made at home by collecting fragrances that shaped the person’s life:

• spices used in their cooking years

• flowers from their hometown

• hair oils, soaps, or perfumes, they always used

• incense from family rituals

• monsoon petrichor, garden soil, or workplace smells

Introduce scents gradually and observe responses closely.

India’s cultural advantage: Scent everywhere

Indian memory is deeply tied to smell:

• Jasmine Malas during festivals

• sandalwood during ceremonies

• coconut oil in grooming routines

• ghee, curry leaves, and cardamom in kitchens

• incense burning in prayer corners

Because these scents are woven into daily living, they often unlock strong emotional memory even in advanced dementia.

The road ahead

For care homes

• training staff in safe scent usage

• personalised scent charts for residents

• creating calm, scent-supported environments

For researchers

• long-term studies with standardised methods

• exploration of culturally specific scent profiles

• integrating smell tests into early screening

For families

• using scent therapy as emotional support

• choosing familiar, meaningful fragrances

• understanding that scent helps connection, not cure

It is important to highlight interventions that preserve dignity and emotional connection. Smell is one such intervention, simple, inexpensive, and deeply tied to identity. While it cannot reverse disease progression, it can restore moments of recognition and comfort, offering families and caregivers a powerful tool to support those living with dementia.