Alice Jones
Having just celebrated her 89th birthday, Alice is still a vibrant part of her community.
Photo: Cinnamon Wolfe
Alice Jones had pretty much given up on her social life.
In church, she couldn’t hear the sermon. At her social club, she couldn’t hear the speaker or the people across the table from her.
“If I was at a luncheon meeting, or social event, I couldn’t hear beyond the person sitting next to me,” Alice says. “It was very irritating not to be able to hear a speaker. In church I had to sit in the front row or I couldn’t hear anything. There was no use to go to church if I couldn’t hear what they were saying, so I stopped going.”
She had one hearing aid, but it wasn’t working well for her. An exam revealed that she really needed two new hearing aids but, living on a fixed income, she couldn’t afford them.
Living in the Upper Mojave Desert in the tiny town of Trona, Alice isolated herself.
It’s a familiar story to us — we hear it again and again. Without being able to hear, people withdraw from their communities.
Alice had retired many years ago, but she was still a very busy and energetic person, doing volunteer work for the local Humane Society (she’s a great animal lover) and working with WACOM, a service club for military wives, which supports various local causes with proceeds from their thrift shop.
In a small community, these things make a big difference.
Fortunately, Alice was referred to LSH through the local Lions Club in Ridgecrest. With our help, she was able to afford two new hearing aids, and now she’s back to the activities she loves.
“I stay active,” Alice says. “I do all my own housework and yard work. Being able to hear what is going on around me, I am now attending the Trona Senior Center luncheons; enjoying the weekly card game with my neighbors; and driving 27 miles one way to do my grocery shopping.”
In short — having just celebrated her 89th birthday — Alice is still a vibrant part of the Trona/Ridgecrest community.
“I’m so thankful for the help they gave me,” she says.
