Essential Oils to Diffuse During Activities for Senior Citizens
Diffusing Essential Oils is a great way to use aromatherapy for Senior Citizens. There are many oils to choose from that have all the benefits you are looking for.
- To Lift Energy Levels – Diffuse Lemon or Peppermint
- To Ease Pain – Diffuse Lavender, Peppermint, Bergamot, Roman Chamomile, or Marjoram
- To Calm Anxiety – Diffuse Lavender, Roman Chamomile, or Marjoram
- To Promote Appetite – Diffuse Lemon
- To aid in Digestion – Diffuse Bergamot, Orange, or Roman Chamomile
- To Promote Sleep – Diffuse Lavender or Marjoram
- These are only a few examples of how Essential Oils can balance and aid our seniors in their daily routines. I recommend buying these oils at Plant Therapy. PlantTherapy is the premier destination for essential oils, KidSafe blends, carrier oils, hydrosols and more! At Plant Therapy, they believe in exceptional quality, the purest ingredients, and the desire to positively impact as many people as humanly possible. “Ultimately, we feel this is possible by providing our customers with exceptional essential oil products that keeps them coming back.”
Sense of Smell and the Brain
As seniors age they may lose their sense of smell or their sense of smell could be lessened. Some people think that this diminished sense would render aromatherapy useless. That is not the case at all. Aromatherapy will still work just a well whether someone can actually smell the scent or not. The reason for this is that the molecules from the essential oils will still pass through the nasal passage to our limbic system. Our limbic system is our system that supports our emotions, our motivation, our behaviors, our long term memory. The molecules travel through our system even if the scent escapes us. We get all this through our sense of smell and even if we cannot smell at all. Amazing.
Effects of Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the use of aromatic essential oils. These can be used for sensory and therapeutic benefits.
As discussed in the above paragraph we can benefit from Essential Oils Aromatherapy even if our sense of smell is gone or diminished. When I learned this I realized how many doors this opened for seniors and people that suffer from loss of scent. How wonderful to know that we can all still benefit from these wonderful oils nature has provided for us.
Aromatherapy has been used for centuries. Ancient Egyptians used them back in 4500 BC! Recorded history shows Chinese and Indian medicine used the benefits of essential oils between 2000 and 3000 BC. No wonder that today we are still using them. For me the long history of use confirms my belief that these are powerful and effective even today. I just wish I had come across them sooner.
When we inhale the scent molecules from the essential oils they travel from the olfactory nerves directly to the brain and especially impact the emotional center of the brain. Depending on the oil scent being inhaled we can create the environment needed for each individual. Some need to relax and would benefit from Lavender, some need motivation and would benefit from Peppermint, some perhaps could benefit from pain relief and would find Roman Chamomile to do the trick. There are hundreds of essential oils and finding the right one is exciting. Another great thing about essential oils is that there are more than one to choose from for any given situation. For instance – you can choose either Lavender or Peppermint for pain relief – or you may choose Orange or Peppermint for lifting ones’ spirits. There are many kid safe blends and oils – which is also safe for Seniors. Here’s a great one called Organic Happy Place. So many choices – I am sure you will find one that is just right for your situation.
Is it Safe for Seniors to Absorb Essential Oils through the Skin?
Yes, Essential oils can also be absorbed by the skin. When it comes to seniors, the recommendation is to dilute them with a carrier oil. You could use Coconut Oil, or Olive Oil or even Grapeseed Oil or Almond Oil. There are many choices of oils that work well. The best oils to use would be oils that have a neutral scent and that are absorbed well by the skin. You might add a drop or two of wintergreen to oil to help relax tight muscles or add lavender to bath salts to create a soothing soak. There are so many uses.
The typical dilution for seniors is 3 drops of Essential Oil in 2 TBSP of Carrier Oil – Then apply to the skin – Always patch test first just in case there could be a reaction. Take a few moments to do some research on the internet about the oil you have chosen. Each one – Carrier Oil and Essential Oils are quite well tolerated. It is always best to consult a doctor if you have any concerns. I do not claim to be a doctor, nor am I in the health care profession. I am a lady that loves essential oils and have seen all the wonderful work they can do for each and every one of us. I diffuse them in my home and my workplace every day. I wouldn’t be without them.
Essential Oils, Carrier Oils and Senior Citizens
We have covered quite a bit of information in this article and what I would like to leave you with is an awareness that Essential Oils can soothe the effects of aging and can be used safely for our elders. There are many scents to choose from and our bodies process the scent of the oils through molecules that travel into our system. Remember walking into Grandma’s house and the scent of Apple Pie or Cookies would just put a smile on your face? We would run to the kitchen to see what delectable treat she was cooking up this time. Years later – one of our favorite places to walk into is a bakery! We remember our Grandma’s kitchen, the table the pie was on – Grandma’s apron. Scent is amazing and the awareness of how it can heal us is just starting to be the center of attraction. Please take the time to bookmark this site and stop by often to read upcoming and past articles. Feel free to leave a comment or write to me to ask a question. I recommend buying your oils from Plant Therapy. You can research them yourself and see all the wonderful reviews on this company! You will be glad you purchased from them. Essential Oils are my passion and I enjoy each and every conversation. Thank You for spending time with me today. Enjoy Each Day – and Smell Away!!!
Hi Connie. Thank you for very interesting article. I knew then aromatherapy may be beneficial, but I had no idea that it may be so helpful for seniors, and so many problems may be addressed by different oils. Its absolutely fascinating and thanks to you I have now idea for a present for my mothers birthday. Im sure she will love different types of aroma oils, and can’t wait to see the results !
Thank You for your comments. Please feel free to stop by and let us know which oils you chose and how it worked out. 🙂
Much obliged to you for the intriguing article. I realized then fragrance-based treatment might be useful. However, I had no clue that it very well might be so useful for seniors. Thus numerous issues might be tended to by various oils. It’s exciting, and grateful to you. I have now thought of a present for my mom’s birthday. I’m sure she will cherish various kinds of smell oils and can hardly wait to see the outcomes!
Wonderful and please stop back in and let us know which oils you purchased and how your Mom’s birthday went! Take Care and Enjoy Each Day
An enjoyable and well written article on essential oils history and its uses. I am also a lover of essential oils and is very interested in learning all there is to know about them. Three essential oils that are always present in my home are the eucalyptus, peppermint and lavender.. Recently I was told by a friend to add a fourth one T-tree oil which has several practical and quick results benefits. These oils seems to be tried and true based on their long historic and cultural usage .One should never underestimate the powers of essential oils used in aromatherapy or otherwise. One hundred percentage pure essential oil properly diluted and applied to your bath or skin can indeed work wonders on your body , spirit and emotions.
Could not have been better said! Thank You for your comments. I totally agree with adding Tea Tree Essential Oil to the list of the main Essential Oils to have in your home or office. Seems like no matter what ails you these 4 can do the trick. I actually go with a couple more – Pink Grapefruit and Lemon. You just cannot go wrong with these oils. Enjoy Each Day
Hi There
super interesting that even if you have no sense of smell that aromatherapy oils will still work – it does make sense though that the essential oils will pass through the nasal passages to the limbic system. That is amazing indeed.
I believe that we can all benefit from the wonders of these oils. Thank you for mentioning the dose of 3 drops per 2 Tablepsoons of carrier oil. That is useful information.
You have piqued my interest in aromatherapy oils as I had forgotten about them. Thank you so much. Best wishes Sheen
So happy to hear that my Essential Oil articles are peeking your interest in oils again. If I can be of any help feel free to send me an email or a comment here. Take Care.
I love using essential oils! I use lavender on my temples for a headache or anxiety and one whiff of ylang-ylang makes me feel so happy. I use rose oil mixed into my face cream too. I didn’t know that the molecules can affect those who don’t have a great sense of smell as well! That’s very interesting that just the presence of the scent of the essential oils of Roman chamomile, lavender, peppermint, marjoram, or bergamot in the air can help with pain. Even if you can’t smell it! That’s really amazing and I will have to try that the next time I don’t want to rely on ibuprofen as much. Thank you!
You are very welcome and it was amazing to me also when I heard that Even if You Cannot Smell Scents – Essential Oils will still have an effect. What an amazing thing Nature is. Everything we need has been supplied to us. We just have to know where to go to get it and how to use it. Enjoy your day.
Hello, thank you for sharing, I think the images are beautiful and the layout is great! In fact I myself have tried the mint oil when I wasn’t feeling well, and I couldn’t believe how much it really did help me! In fact I might just have to get something for my grandmother because she has alzheimer s and I think it would be wonderful to see how she does with it. Have you ever used the oils on someone with alzheimer s?
Good Morning,
I have indeed tried essential oils with seniors. There is a senior center that I go to almost every day and the folks there love their oils. Just always keep in mind that seniors and children don’t need as strong a dose of them. Thank You for the compliment on the images. Enjoy!