Perception of elderly people about the restriction of participation related to hearing loss

Abstract

Introduction: Among the physiological alterations of the human aging process, age-related hearing loss is one of the most frequent and disabling, since it reduces the social contact of the elderly, and can generate impact on health conditions. Objective: to verify the perception of the elderly about the restriction of participation related to hearing loss. Method: A cross-sectional and quantitative study with elderly individuals over 60 years of age, all with hearing loss, users of hearing aids or not. The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) questionnaire was applied. Results: The sample consisted of 46 individuals, 43.48% (n = 20) of the female sex and 56.52% (n = 26) of the male sex. The average age was 74.78 years, with a standard deviation of 7.96 years. The most frequent hearing loss, in 73.91% (n = 34) of the sample, was bilateral sensorineural type with a descending configuration, with 50% (n = 23) not using hearing aids, 45.65% (n = 21) stated using it and 4.35% (n = 2) did not answer that question. The results showed that 82.6% of the elderly reported restrictions to participate in social activities, being 50% of the sample (n = 23) with significant perception. In general, such a restriction was higher in males, sensorineural hearing loss of moderate degree and descending configuration, ages up to 79 years, who did not use hearing aids, although the differences between the variables were not significant. Conclusion: Elderly people with hearing loss had a significant perception of the restriction of participation, especially among those who did not use PSAPI, which could negatively impact quality of life.