PURPOSE: To evaluate the hearing of elderly individuals and their perception regarding their hearing condition. METHODS: A descriptive and exploratory research was developed using as subjects 40 students from a University for the Third Age located in Salvador, Bahia (Brazil), being 34 female and 6 male, with ages ranging from 61 to 88 years. The evaluation used the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Elderly - HHIE, and an audiometric assessment was carried out. Data analysis considered the following variables: gender, age and the answers computed in the HHIE. RESULTS: From the subjects, 37.5% had normal hearing and 62.5% presented hearing loss (30% asymmetric and 32.5% symmetric hearing loss). From the 25 subjects with hearing loss, only 3 (12%) were aware of it, according to the HHIE, scoring higher than ten points. In addition, 22 subjects (88%) had a score lower than ten. Regarding gender, 8% of the male subjects and 4% of the female subjects scored over ten at the HHIE; 16% of the male and 72% of the female scored under ten points. There was a predominance of the descendent audiometric configuration in 88% of the individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the subjects studied had hearing loss, which increased with age. Proportionally, hearing loss occurred mostly in men, although few of them were aware of its existence.
Aged; Aging; Presbycusis; Hearing disorders; Hearing loss; Quality of life
