There's a very particular "nursing home smell" and oddly an old family car would produce it if you ran the heat. My best guess was a dead animal in there somewhere.

I'm 27 and I can smell it around some older people. It might be anecdotal, but I think it was less noticeable in people who kept physically active.

FWIW, for me personally it's not a strong or bad smell, and it's pretty neutral. So, I don't think anyone needs feel self-conscious about it!

I suspect you're absolutely right. My maternal grandmother had a terrible smell, although she lived a long time (with about 10 years of dementia).

Smells are linked to emotional. Old people smell as good as you like old people. (Same as almost any smell.)

59 and yes. It exists. Can smell it when I come back from longer away.

Sensation fades rapidly. I have little doubt younger friends and colleagues get more of it, alas.

When I was a kid, one of the most intense memories I had was of how my maternal grandfather smelled. Not just after work, but after a shower, or any other activity. I always thought it was because he was a heavy smoker. As I turned 50 (or so), I was surprised and appalled to find that I now smelled that exact same smell again — this time from me. Again, it would smell weaker right after a shower, or I could cover it with aftershave or cologne, but it was always there as a baseline.

And I’ve never been a smoker — I tried smoking a pipe in college, but could never keep the damn thing lit. And cigarettes just made me gag and tasted horrible. Of course, I knew plenty of smokers and my mom was a heavy smoker for many years, so I knew what the smell was like. That didn’t bother me so much, but the act of trying to smoke did.

So far as I can tell, I just now smell like my grandpa used to when I was a kid.

Anyway, I’m not sure what to make of this situation. It still bugs me, from time to time.