Day 138: Who Will Care for Our Elders?
On a radio discussion program in Mexico City, the host, Lorenzo (A), talks to Dr. Octavia Salgado (B), a geriatrician, Jerónimo Ávila (C), a sociologist, and Julia (D), a young woman who looks after her grandmother.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense. Point at (or tap) a Spanish word to see what it means.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Spanish, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio recordings are on the way. For now, each lesson is the dialogue with its English translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day · point at a word to see its meaning
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A
Buenas noches. Con el envejecimiento de la población, la pregunta es obligada: ¿quién va a cuidar a nuestros adultos mayores?
Good evening. With the population aging, the question is unavoidable: who is going to look after our elders?
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B
La esperanza de vida ronda los 75 años, pero cuanto más vivimos, más años pasamos con enfermedades crónicas.
Life expectancy is around 75, but the longer we live, the more years we spend with chronic illnesses.
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C
Y con la natalidad a la baja, habrá menos manos para cuidar. Además, son las mujeres quienes cargan con casi todo.
And with the birth rate falling, there'll be fewer hands to do the caring. Besides, it's women who carry almost all of it.
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A
Nos acompaña Julia, de veinticuatro años, que cuida a su abuela. ¿Cómo se ve esto desde su casa?
We're joined by Julia, who is twenty-four and looks after her grandmother. How does this look from your home?
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D
Con todo respeto, en mi casa no hay cifras: hay una abuela que de madrugada busca a mi abuelo, que murió hace diez años.
With all due respect, in my home there are no figures: there's a grandmother who goes looking in the middle of the night for my grandfather, who died ten years ago.
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B
Para eso están las residencias y las estancias de día; en casos de demencia, mejoran mucho la calidad de vida.
That's what nursing homes and day centers are for; in cases of dementia, they greatly improve quality of life.
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D
Sí, doctora, pero una residencia privada cuesta más de lo que gano: estoy entre la espada y la pared.
Yes, Doctor, but a private nursing home costs more than I earn: I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.
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C
Ahí está el problema de fondo: dejamos todo en manos de las familias, como si envejecer fuera asunto privado, y ya no se dan abasto.
That's the underlying problem: we leave it all in the hands of families, as if growing old were a private matter, and they can't keep up anymore.
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D
Fue mi abuela quien me crio, y la cuido con gusto. Pero cuanto más sola lo hago, menos aguanto.
It was my grandmother who raised me, and I'm glad to look after her. But the more I do it on my own, the less I can take.
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