Self-perceived hearing handicap and hearingsensitivity in nursing home elderlies

Objectives: To identify hearing sensitivity and self-perceived handicap and their relation. Methods: Schooling, dependence for daily activities and auditory complaints were investigated in 79 nursing home elderly subjects, male and female, aged from 66 to 100 years. All underwent basic hearing evaluation and answered a self-assessment scale (HHIE-S). Results: Mean schooling was of 8.3 years. Thirty-one subjects (39.3%) were classified as independent, 43 (54.4%) as semi-dependent and 5 (6.3%) as dependent. Fifty-eight (73.4%) subjects had complaints concerning their hearing. Only 25.3% demonstrated normal hearing for low and medium frequencies, and 8.9% and 7.6% for high frequencies on the right and left ears, respectively. Hearing loss for low and medium frequencies was mild, while that for high frequencies was moderate. The great majority of subjects (64.6%) did not demonstrate hearing handicap as evaluated by the HHIE-S. Conclusions: Hearing loss without self-perceived hearing handicap was prevalent in the group and these aspects were highly associated, that is, the worse the hearing sensitivity, more evident the handicap. The development of hearing loss is usually slow and only perceived when affecting the entire frequency range, leading to difficulties in social integration and lack of motivation in maintaining interpersonal relations, strengthening the social barriers and demonstrating the importance of the audiologist in these institutions.(AU) Objetivos: Identificar o grau de sensibilidade auditiva e a autopercepcao do handicap em idosos e verificar a relacao entre ambos. Metodos: Realizou-se o levantamento da escolaridade, grau de dependencia para as atividades de vida diaria e das queixas relacionadas a audicao de 79 individuos, de ambos os generos, na faixa etaria de 66 a 100 anos, residentes em uma instituicao de longa permanencia. Submetidos a avaliacao audiologica basica e a aplicacao de um questionario de autoavaliacao (HHIE-S). Resultados: A escolaridade mostrou uma media de 8,63 anos cursados; 31 individuos (39,3%) foram classificados como independentes, 43 (54,4%) semidependentes e 5 (6,3%) dependentes; 58 (73,4%) individuos apresentaram alguma queixa relacionada a audicao. Apenas 25,3% da amostra apresentou grau de sensibilidade auditiva normal para as frequencias baixas e medias e 8,9% a direita e 7,6% a esquerda para as altas, sendo o grau leve o mais frequente para as baixas e medias, e o moderado para as altas, para ambos os lados. A maioria dos idosos nao apresentou percepcao do handicap auditivo (64,6%). Conclusoes: Houve alta prevalencia de deficiencia auditiva, porem sem percepcao do handicap na maioria dos individuos avaliados, estando estes dois aspectos amplamente relacionados. O carater lento e progressivo da deficiencia auditiva, que so passa a ser notado quando se atinge altos graus de comprometimento, soma-se a dificuldade de integracao social deste grupo e o desinteresse em manter as relacoes interpessoais, intensificando as barreiras e apontando para a grande necessidade da atuacao fonoaudiologica dentro destas instituicoes.(AU)