A charity which supports people who have lost their senses of smell and taste has seen global demand for its services raised near 70-fold amidst the pandemic, with the symptoms being two of the key indicators of COVID-19.
Fifth Sense has worked nationally since its creation in 2012 to offer support and signposting to those directly affected by smell and taste loss, supporting hundreds of people during that time, as well as educating society on the vital role the senses play in our lives and how keenly their loss is felt.
However, over the past few months, the charity has been deluged with enquiries from around the world after smell and taste loss became commonplace through contracting COVID-19, and they were confirmed as being among the main symptoms of the deadly virus.
Fifth Sense quickly reacted to the need by launching an array of online resources for people, taking its in-person local groups online and creating new virtual groups and advice forums to help engage with the global community of people who have lost their smell and taste.
Having been run by founder Duncan Boak and volunteers – backed by the expertise of leading medical figures including Professor Carl Philpott, Director of Research and Medical Affairs at Fifth Sense – since its inception, the charity took on its first member of staff, director of development and operations Nina Bleasdale, only weeks before the pandemic hit the UK.
It has since added marketing officer Daniel Scott in June to help it keep pace with surging demand and help continue to develop new ways to engage with those who need it.
“We have punched above our weight from day one with our delivery model, where we bring on board people who want to be part of what we do and we use this experience and professional skills to make a difference,” says Duncan, who lost his sense of smell through a brain injury.
“From the outset, we have worked with Carl to make sure the information we are providing is of the highest quality and is credible, our credibility is now widely recognised.
“That has enabled us to create what we have and has allowed us to accommodate the volume of demand we have seen. Ordinarily, we would get 1,000, maybe 1,500, visitors to our website a day – that has gone up to 70,000.”
“Our website has been a resource for so many people in terms of giving information and signposting and being there when people need us,” says Nina.
“And as well as providing them with the resources they need, the opportunities to have contact with other people who are also experiencing the loss of smell are hugely important. I don’t think people can realise what the reality of that is like in everyday life.
“Even one ENT consultant we work with told us they didn’t truly understand what it was like until they experienced it themselves, even though they had treated patients with it for years. But that’s why we are so important to so many people, because we do understand.”
Duncan continues: “When I lost my sense of smell in 2005, I spent the next six-and-a-half years thinking I was the only person on the planet with this, so I know what people are going through.
“There’s the classic line ‘There’s nothing that can be done’ and while that may be true from a clinical perspective, the value of coming into contact people and sharing experiences is more valuable than I can describe. In that way, there is so much that can be done.
“I wish what we have created had been there for me in the early days, but it’s great to know we are supporting so many others who probably feel similarly alone until they come to us.”
Fifth Sense is now operating a number of online forums to enable it to bring people together.
“We’ve had people from around the world, many of whom have lost their taste and smell through COVID, but equally others who have lived with this for years but have never done anything about it, or more probably because there was nowhere for them to turn 20 or 30 years ago,” says Nina.
“It’s great they have found the confidence to come to us and end the isolation and disconnection they’ve experienced, and we’ll continue to make conversations and connections happen.”
However, going forward, while it will continue with its online offering to unite its global community, it is committed to continuing its presence on local levels.
“Face to face engagement will continue to have immense power and value. We have a number of local hubs and there is something really important about that. Going forward, more people will be working at home, they’ll be travelling less which will positively impact climate change, and people will spend more time in their local communities as a result,” says Duncan.
“I think these strong links and affinities many people now have with their local communities will mean our local hubs will be more important than ever. Local people supporting each other has been vital during the pandemic and will continue to be so.”
