4/25 Free Online English Class

As people have longer life expectancy nowadays and more people tend not to have more children in Taiwan, we all have to face an important problem in the aging society. That's to take care of senior citizens and offer them a better and safe life. The concept of "filial piety" has been deeply rooted in our culture and education. On one hand, some believe it's the child's duty to take care of his/her parents. On the other hand, others are not willing to live with his/her parents when they get old because that might cause a lot of problems in the family.

So, let's talk about "taking care of old parents" today. Think about the following questions beforehand and feel free to share your opinions with us in class.

Q1: How many people are there in your family? Is it a nuclear family, stem family or an extended family?

Q2: What is “senile dementia”? What is “Alzheimer’s disease”? What are the symptoms?

Q3: Do you have any plans after you retire? Are you going to live alone, at a nursing home, or with your children?

Q4: When your parents are old, do you think it’s your responsibility to take care of them? Why or why not?

Q5: What are the pros and cons for elderly parents to live with their children? What are the pros and cons for elderly parents to live alone?

Q6: As there are more and more senior citizens nowadays and we live in an aging society, it’s important to offer them a better and safe life. Which of the following opinions do you agree with?
- It’s too expensive to take care of old people, I think the government should be responsible for taking
care of them.
- Taking care of elderly parents is the child’s duty. So the child should not depend on other people or on the government for help.
- Your parents should live with you when they are old, even if your house is small, but the government
can offer some subsidies for you to hire a caretaker to take care of your parents.
- If your mother or father suddenly comes to your house to live, it will cause a lot of problems. So, it’s
not a good idea to live with parents even when they are old.
- Elderly people should live in special homes, such as nursing homes. They should bother their
children. And they can make friends at their age.
- Others

Q7: Read the following article and make a summary.

Q8: What is your suggestion for Toshi?

If you have any questions, let me know. See you in class at 9:00 p.m. on April 25.