PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the profile of elderly people who participated in five counseling sessions after the purchase of hearing aids in an auditory center of Curitiba (PR), to that of those who did not return after the first or second session. METHODS: Forty five elderly subjects with presbycusis from an auditoy center of Curitiba (PR) participated in this study. The sample was divided into two groups: Group 1, Control, composed by 30 individuals who participated in the five counseling sessions; and Group 2, Experimental, constituted by 15 individuals who participated only in the first and/or second session. The questions of the initial interview were used for gathering these data. RESULTS: Differences were found between the profiles of both groups. From the eleven aspects raised, there were differences in eight of them, regarding: family history of hearing loss, former users of hearing aids, degree of hearing loss, emotional state, family relations, social life, deprivations arising from the hearing loss, and abilities in handling the hearing aids. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that the group that participated in all counseling sessions presented a different profile from that who only participated in the first and/or second meeting, and that the issues raised seem to have influenced the decision of the members of the second group to continue participating in the sessions.
Health of the elderly; Presbycusis; Hearing loss
