Barbara was almost 80 years old when she left an abusive marriage and moved in with her daughter’s family. A retired social worker, she’d always been involved in the community, and she continued to be active and engaged with her grandchildren and with local issues. But when her hearing deteriorated, her limited income wasn’t enough to replace her hearing aids, and Barbara grew increasingly isolated. That’s when she turned to Hebrew Free Loan.
A health care loan made it possible for Barbara to get new hearing aids — state of the art devices that use the latest technology to improve her hearing tremendously. Barbara was able to continue serving on the Alameda Unified School District Board of Education, including a stint as Board President. “The hearing aids opened up the world for me. If you can’t hear, you are so cut off. I can’t imagine life without them, and I couldn’t have afforded them without Hebrew Free Loan.”
