📘 Part 3: Older people

This episode's vocabulary

To accumulate (verb) - to collect a large number of things over a long period of time.

Empathy (noun) - the ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person's situation.

Emotional intelligence (noun) - the ability to understand the way people feel and react and to use this skill to make good judgments and to avoid or solve problems.

To model (verb) - to make a model of something.

To exacerbate (verb) - to make something that is already bad even worse.

The norm (noun) - a situation or type of behaviour that is expected and considered to be typical.

Geriatric (adj.) - for or relating to old people.

Strain (noun) - a force or influence that stretches, pulls, or puts pressure on something, sometimes causing damage.

Companionship (noun) - the enjoyment of spending time with other people.

Chronic (adj.) - (especially of a disease or something bad) continuing for a long time.

Taxing (adj.) - difficult or needing a lot of thought or effort.

Spectrum (noun) - a range of different positions, opinions, etc. between two extreme points.

Self-centred (adj.) - only interested in yourself and your own activities.

Social welfare (noun) - services provided by the government or private organizations to help poor, ill, or old people.

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Questions and Answers

M: What are the benefits of being interested in or being friends with older people?

R: It could bring many benefits like access to the accumulated wisdom of older people and their perspective on things. There's also access to empathy and understanding, since the older generation is more likely to understand and empathize with the challenges faced by the younger one.

M: What kinds of things can young people learn from older people?

R: Well, aside from what I already talked about, there are some practical skills which older people may have developed, such as cooking, gardening or home repairs. They also have opportunities to develop their emotional intelligence and financial management and planning abilities, since older people have been around longer. Could also add to knowledge of the historical context, again, due to their age.

M: How can older people influence younger people to make good decisions?

R: The main way seem to be things like modelling good behaviour, so young people can see what making the right choices looks like. They can also give guidance and advice based on their life experience. We already talked about that a little bit.

M: Do you think that cities are good places for elderly people?

R: Assuming they don't have some serious disability that living there would exacerbate, I don't see why not. It might even be better for them, since they'll have access to a greater number of goods and services than elsewhere.

M: And in your country, do older people usually live with their families?

R: As near as I'm aware, the norm is for them to live in their own homes or in geriatric care homes as they become less able to live independently. Unfortunately, people have less and less time to help their relatives and spend more time working so they just can't have them living at home.

M: And what are the advantages and disadvantages of living with an older member of your family?

R: It's hard to say with any certainty because that will depend on how well the older person is and the status of the family. Generally, though, advantages could include receiving emotional support and companionship, receiving practical help with tasks such as cooking and cleaning, and potentially receiving financial assistance. The disadvantages might be conflicts over lifestyle or household rules, financial strain, and a feeling of a lack of privacy, maybe. Oh, additionally, if the older family member requires care for a chronic illness or disability, the responsibility of providing that care may fall on the person living with them, which could be pretty emotionally and physically taxing.

M: What problems in society can being self-centred cause?

R: The list is probably endless, since there's almost a spectrum of being self-centred. But some examples might include a lack of empathy. Like when an individual is self-centred, they may be less likely to empathize with others, and that can lead to conflict and misunderstandings. It can also have an impact on forming teams, maintaining relationships, and make people less likely to contribute positively to society. For example, if they want, or if they don't want to volunteer or participate in community events, and they might be less likely to support policies and programs that could benefit the greater good as well, like social welfare.

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