Implications of using the Hearing Aids on quality of life of elderly.

Camila Zorzetto Carniel,Patricia Leila Dos Santos,Carla Aparecida De Urzedo Fortunato-Queiroz,Carla Dias Da Silva,Juliana Cristina Ferreira De Sousa,Miguel Ângelo Hyppolito

doi:10.1590/2317-1782/20172016241

Camila Zorzetto Carniel, Patricia Leila Dos Santos + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20172016241

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Journal: CoDAS	Publication Date: Oct 19, 2017
Citations: 13	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Universidade Brasil, Universidade de São Paulo

Abstract

To evaluate through standardized questionnaires the quality of life of elderly people with hearing loss diagnosed with and without the use of hearing aids (HA) and elderly without hearing complaints. This is a cross-sectional study with non probabilistic sample, divided into three groups divided as follows: 30 elderly people with diagnosed hearing loss and indication for use of individual sound amplification devices (hearing aids), but have not yet made use of the prosthesis; 30 individuals with hearing impairment who used hearing aids and 30 elderly without hearing complaints. Participants completed a questionnaire investigating sociodemographic and family data, the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening Version (HHIE-S) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life - Short version (WHOQOL-BREF). In addition to the descriptive analysis of the data were performed tests to compare the three groups by applying analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Bonferroni post hoc test. The three groups differed significantly in all domains of quality of life. The group of the elderly people with hearing loss diagnosed and with indication for the use of hearing aids presented lower scores and the group of the elderly with hearing disabilities that used the hearing aid and that the reference group. The AASI group presented the best quality of life results. The hearing loss affects the quality of life of the elderly. The effective use of hearing aid is beneficial to this population, improving their living and health conditions.

Highlights

Since 1970, the Brazilian demographic profile has undergone important transformations arising from decreased rates of mortality and birth and increased life expectancy of the population, resulting in the phenomenon of population aging
Gender distribution was different in the three groups: in the HL Group (HLG) and HLHA Group (HLHAG), most of the elderly presented lower schooling levels, whereas in the Control Group (CG), most individuals had College degrees (Table 1)
This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) of the elderly by comparing three groups: individuals diagnosed with hearing loss and indication for use of hearing aids (HA), but who did not use the prosthesis (HL group - HLG); individuals with hearing impairment who used HA (HLHA group - HLHAG); and individuals with no hearing complaints (Control group - CG)

Summary

Introduction

Since 1970, the Brazilian demographic profile has undergone important transformations arising from decreased rates of mortality and birth and increased life expectancy of the population, resulting in the phenomenon of population aging. Data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) indicate a 23.8% increase in the elderly population by 2040. With this change in the population age structure, aging has become a widely studied theme[1,2]. Increased life expectancy and population aging reflect a change in the morbidity and mortality profile, with an increase in situations that require chronic care[3]. There is a genetically programmed deterioration determined by biological rules such as the primary (when and how aging begins in an individual’s life) and secondary (quality of life, lifestyle, caloric diet, physical activities) processes, which are associated with increasing age and personal control[4]

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