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Nursing Homes

Learn English with this family English lesson

Date: Jul 12 2013

Grammar: Zero Conditional

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Intro

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What happens when you have an elderly parent or grandparent who is no longer able to take care of him or herself? Do you invite your relative to come live with you and your family? Or, if you’re simply not able to take on that responsibility, do you send your relative to go live in a nursing home or other facility where attendants can provide the care he or she needs?

It can be a tough decision. To put your grandmother in a home might feel as if you’re abandoning her. But, especially if her mental or physical health is in decline, it’s possible that you simply wouldn’t be able to give her the proper care. Find out what Greta and Lily think about nursing homes in this family English lesson.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Lily

Greta

Lily: Greta, I have some sad news. My grandmother just got put in a nursing home.

Greta: Oh.

Lily: Yeah.

Greta: Well, I guess that’s sad news, although I work in a nursing home, and at least the one that I work in is a really lovely place.

Lily: That’s good. I didn’t really know much about it. All I knew is that she got moved out of her house because she was starting to get to that point where she couldn’t really take care of herself very well, and my family wasn’t really in a position to take care of her, so that decision came up.

Greta: I think when older people get to the point that they’re no longer self-sufficient, if a family can’t shoulder that obligation, nursing homes can be a really great way for people to have the care that they need and still maintain some kind of lifestyle that they’re used to. But especially if they have health problems, older people can be sort of high maintenance in terms of their medication and safety and all of that, and it’s a lot to take on.

Lily: I guess so. I’d never really thought about it like that. I always thought of it more like we’re letting her down by putting her in a home. But I guess if it’s a nice place, then it can be a good thing.

Greta: I think so. And I think one of the things that makes the biggest difference is what the attendants are like at the nursing home. Because if they are great and they love what they do, I think that really comes through.

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Discussion

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Lily is sad because her grandmother just moved to a nursing home. Greta doesn’t think it’s necessarily a sad thing, though. She says that some nursing homes are quite nice. In fact, she works in one.

Greta thinks that sometimes nursing homes are just necessary. When older people are no longer self-sufficient and their family can’t take care of them, sometimes a nursing home is a really good option. This is especially true when someone needs to take medication or have other medical attention.

This conversation has changed Lily’s thinking about nursing homes. Maybe the fact that her grandma is moving into a nursing home isn’t so sad, after all.

Do you think that older people should move in with their families, or go to nursing homes? Have you ever been to a nursing home? What do you want to happen when you are old?

Comments

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Irene Forever

Ukraine

Julito, if older parents have kids, it’s abnormal situatin to send them to a nursery home, but if they want it themselves by reason of having not children but wild animals at their own home, it may have place.

If older people don’t have kids or relatives who can care about them, they may make a decision to go to a nursery home.

Still it’s a bad indication for a society. View to my mind, all troubles begin from soulless people.

Irene Forever

Ukraine

wannicho, so why to raise children if they don’t need their parents after all? As far as I know the Chinese have many kids, nowadays less, and they give birth to them in order to be thrown away afterwards?

Irene Forever

Ukraine

ntwyh03, a good choice as you said! I never wish you were there. What a great generation! :( Where did you read it that you must leave your parents to die as homeless dogs: in Quran, in Bible or somewhere else?

rara_fe

Indonesia

I don’t think so, but I think it’s depend on each other. but for me, if we have older people in home like mom, dad or granpa n grandma we should take care of them well. mean we prove to them we can do better for their, make them be happy, spend our time with them. because maybe that is can be the last thing for them. who know???

but if I’m who old, I hope my childs can take care of me only in home. I want to spend my time with them before I die.

danielenglish

Chile

I think it is horrible to leave our parents in a Nursing homes

ntwyh03

China

i think that depend on situation that you will face.Nursing home is one of those options for some eldly pepole have to choose. Nobody wanno living without famliy. on the other hand it is a good choice for the new generation who tansfer theire responsibility to society.

shaerwan

Syrian Arab Republic

i think its good idea especially when theire case come to a critical state

i want to die before i get very old

karimzahran

Egypt

wannicho

China

nursing home either costly or terrible in China here , if u want the couldn’t self- sufficient family were taken care of , keep them in the house looking after by family members or send them to a good nursing home but pay a big price .

i hate to break it to the world , but most chinese olderly are going throught a terrible situation when they couldn’t taken care of themselves , at this point , my kids consider them as a burden and wanna get it over with quickly , many elderly starved to death , bec no kids wanna looking after them

julito

Argentina

A very touching topic. Irene , i agree with you. In the past elderly people were taken care by their family until the last day , I bear witness to that , I have seen my elders living at home , and a nursing home ,at least for me, was inexistent. But nowadays, living as it is,life it is so complicated ,the need for every member of the household to have a job , who is going to take care of an older parent or relative and what if with medical issues ? A nursing home is a solution ,sad but true. As a self-employed contractor I had many times being hired to work on one of those places. I have had a feeling that some elders were discarded as an old furniture by their family . the dialogue between Greta and Lily is impressive.

Irene Forever

Ukraine

It’s very sad for me to know that in some European countries including Ukraine older parents are sent to nursing homes by their children. It’s impossible for me to realize how they can do that action with the people who gave their souls to them. I would never do it! And I never want to be sent there either.I can’t imagine another way of coping with old-aged parents but giving them a big care that I have been doing constantly.

May God help me to see, to hear, to walk and to think until my death so as not to bother my son with my health problems. But I’m sure that my son will never do this awful thing with me. I’d rather die than live in a nursing home.

In Ukraine it’s preferable to live separately from parents, but children care about old parents in different ways, and if it’s needed they move in together.

There are cases when older people don’t have children and can’t care of themselves. They may want to go to nursing homes as they don’t have another way out of the situation.

Someone may tell me that those nursing homes are wonderful places for older people, but there is no place like home. We say, at home even walls give the warmth.