Introduction:

The present research study the auditory system and executive skills, specifically cognitive flexibility, in long-lived population to contribute to the existing scientific evidence, the impact that both can have on the quality of life of the elderly population.

Objective:

the relationship between the hearing function and cognitive flexibility an older adult population was determined in Sincelejo, Colombia.

Method:

A quantitative, non-experimental, correlational, cross-sectional study was conducted in a population (140) older adults, intentional sampling by inclusion criteria was applied for the selection of the sample (belonging to the institution, who will sign the informed consent) and exclusion (cognitive deficit, diabetes, diagnosed neurological diseases, visual or auditory alterations, exceeding the age of the test), the sample was made up of 49 older adults. It was used as instruments for collecting information for hearing, audiological tests of tone audiometry and logoaudiometry, for the measurement of executive function, Wisconsin Card Classification Test.

Results:

The results showed mean differences in the conceptual level response variable between age groups (p: 0.037), high-frequency hearing losses between mild and moderate (25-40Dbhl; 40-60Dbhl), good level of speech discrimination and a statistical association between hearing sensitivity and total number of mistakes (0.336, 0.357 p=0.05), and perseverance(0.343, 0.301 p=0.05), speech discrimination, response at the conceptual level(-0.375;-0.397p=0.0), lack of attitude(0.441; 0.456 p=0.01).

Conclusion:

The greater the deterioration in the peripheral and central auditory processing, the greater the perseverative tendency, the difficulty in abstraction and concept formation, as well as the change of strategies of an older adult in tasks that involve executive functioning.

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