Socio-demographic profile of elderly pSocio-demographic profile of elderly people with hearing loss in the city of Belém-PAeople with hearing loss in the city of Belém-PA

Abstract

The growth of the elderly population is a fact, becoming a subject of interest in several studies, since aging has many implications on the quality of life of these individuals. The objective of this research is to delineate the population characteristics of the elderly enrolled in a program of hearing aids of the single health system. Method: a cross-sectional study with 150 subjects, questioned about socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle, perception of hearing difficulty, self-reference questions regarding dizziness, hearing and falls, and audiometric examination. Results: The mean age was 72.7 years, 63.5% were female, 63.3% reported feeling dizzy, the perception about how long the hearing impairment had been was for more than two years, 54.7% of hearing loss was sensorineural type and moderate degree. Conclusion: the elderly need to be seen in their entirety with population characteristics, so that public policies can be created that meet the diverse needs resulting from the regional differences of the country.