B2 — Upper Intermediate
Robot carers are being developed to support people in care homes by providing companionship, reminders, monitoring, and basic assistance with daily activities. They could help reduce the workload of understaffed care facilities and give carers more time to focus on patients’ needs.
However, robots cannot easily replace the empathy, emotional connection, and personal attention provided by human carers.
As intelligent robots become increasingly capable of providing companionship and medical support. Intelligent robots could help tackle staff shortages in care homes, but can they ever replace human caregivers?
Watch the video about intelligent robot carers of the future.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “to be at one’s most vulnerable” mean? “Empathy, emotional support, and human contact are essential for all of us, particularly when we are at our most vulnerable.” Use the idiom in a sentence. Give a synonym.
- What does “to relieve pressure in something” mean? “Assistive intelligent robots could relieve pressure in understaffed care homes.” Use the expression in a sentence. Give a synonym.
- What does “manicured“ mean here: “Along the way, you see robots maintaining beautifully manicured grounds.”? Use the word in a sentence. Give a synonym.
Discussion Questions:
- Share your thoughts about that future imagined in the video about the way we will be cared for in 2100.
- Should robots replace human caregivers or simply assist them? Share your opinion.
- How might elderly people feel about receiving care from robots? Should they have the right to refuse care from robots? Share your thoughts.
- What do you want your future care to look like? Would you feel comfortable having a robot care for you? Why or why not?
- Who should be responsible if a robot makes a serious mistake while caring for someone? Explain.
- Could depending too heavily on robot carers make society less willing to care for elderly people ourselves? Share your point of view.