OBJECTIVE: To identify the audiological characteristics of elderly women in an institution of Long Term Elderly (ILPI), through hearing screening. METHODS: We examined the thresholds of air in ten elderly residents in an ILPI of Santa Maria - RS. It was used to screen the equipment Screening Audiometer Interacoustics brand, model AS 208, in a quiet environment. To determine the degree of hearing loss was used the Silvemann & Davis classification (1970). RESULTS: A total of ten elderly women with a mean age of 79.7 years old. Five of them showed the same degree of hearing loss in both ears: two (20%) with moderately severe, two (20%) with moderate and one (10%) with light. The other elderly evaluated showed asymmetric hearing loss: two (20%) with mild hearing loss in right ear (OD) and moderate in the left ear (OE), a (10%) with severe loss in right ear and moderate in OE, a (10 %) with moderately severe loss in right ear and moderate in the left ear, one (10%) with normal hearing at a loss at high frequencies in the right ear and mild hearing loss in OE. Of the ten elderly evaluated, seven (70%) had greater loss in high frequencies in both ears and two (20%) greater loss in high frequencies in one ear. CONCLUSIONS: All evaluated elderly hearing loss, hearing loss of moderate degree were the most frequent and there was a greater loss in high frequencies in most cases, showing some of the changes that occur in the senescent auditory system.