PURPOSE: to know elderly perception of hearing aids use given by the health system (SUS). METHODS: qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 19 subjects with age ranging from 60 to 86 years, with binaural adaptation and using hearing aids from six months to one year. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for further reading and thematic analysis. The settled categories were: Difficulties of communication without hearing aids; The Access to the hearing aids and The Adaptation Process; The impact of hearing aids use in communication. RESULTS: communication difficulty is higher in situations where there are many people talking; the difficulty is not in listening but in understanding; they show concern about distinguishing what they feel being deaf. Most subjects did not have previous hearing aids adaptation due to financial difficulties and revealed that their access to hearing aids was through implementation of Hearing Health Care Service. The difficulties concerning the adaptation process were: changing the perception of their own voice, difficulty in understanding the communication in noisy environment and on the phone. They reported the benefits of hearing aids use in communication with relatives and strangers. CONCLUSION: the monitoring process importance is highlighted so that the difficulties for adjustment can be effectively detected and minimized. Such being the case, the patient gets the benefit and satisfaction from the treatment.
Hearing Aid; Aged; Hearing Loss; Perception; Rehabilitation