The Japanese government is increasing financial assistance to companies who can develop low-cost nursing home robots to help with the growing population of elderly people in the country. Companies in the United States are also developing robot-caregiver prototypes but are slower in finding just the right robot companion for older Americans with disabilities.
ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key
Film Robot and Frank.
Excerpt: The Future of Robot Caregivers By L. Aronson The New York Times
“Each time I make a house call, I stay much longer than I should. I can’t leave because my patient is holding my hand, or because she’s telling me, not for the first time, about when Aunt Mabel cut off all her hair and they called her a boy at school, or how her daddy lost his job and the lights went out… I can, and do, write prescriptions for her many medical problems, but I have little to offer for the two conditions that dominate her days: loneliness and disability.
She has a well-meaning, troubled daughter in a faraway state, a caregiver who comes twice a week, a friend who checks in on her periodically, and she gets regular calls from volunteers with the Friendship Line. It’s not enough. Like most older adults, she doesn’t want to be “locked up in one of those homes.” What she needs is someone who is always there, who can help with everyday tasks, who will listen and smile.What she needs is a robot caregiver.
That may sound like an oxymoron. In an ideal world, it would be: Each of us would have at least one kind and fully capable human caregiver to meet our physical and emotional needs as we age. But most of us do not live in an ideal world, and a reliable robot may be better than an unreliable or abusive person, or than no one at all.
Last year in Japan, where robots are considered “iyashi,” or healing, the health ministry began a program designed to meet work-force shortages and help prevent injuries by promoting nursing-care robots that assist with lifting and moving patients.
Film Robot and Frank.
Researchers in the United States are developing robot-caregiver prototypes as well, but we have been slower to move in this direction… Even within the medical community, this idea that machines could help fulfill more than just physical needs meets largely with skepticism, and occasionally with outrage.
Film Robot and Frank.
But the biggest argument for robot caregivers is that we need them. We do not have anywhere near enough human caregivers for the growing number of older Americans. Robots could help solve this work-force crisis by strategically supplementing human care. Equally important, robots could decrease high rates of neglect and abuse of older adults by assisting overwhelmed human caregivers and replacing those who are guilty of intentional negligence or mistreatment.”
ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post
Level: Intermediate – Advanced
Language Skills: Reading, writing, speaking and listening. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.
Time: Approximately 2 hours.
Materials: Student handouts (from this lesson) access to news article, and video clip.
Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension, listening skills, and learning new vocabulary. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.
I. Pre-Reading Activities
Stimulating background knowledge
Brainstorming
Directions: Place students in groups, ask students to think about what they already know about the topic. Next, have students look at the pictures in the text and generate ideas or words that may be connected to the article. Discuss as a class. Students can use this great Brainstorming chart from Kootation. 
II. While Reading Activities
Word Inference
Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.
- Aunt Mabel lit pine cones and danced and made everyone laugh.
- I can, and do, write prescriptions for her many medical problems.
- That may sound like an oxymoron.
- But most of us do not live in an ideal world.
- A reliable robot may be better than an unreliable person.
- Caregiving is hard work.
- More often than not, caregiving is tedious.
- Caregiving has adverse health consequences for those who do it.
- A consortium of European companies, universities and research institutions collaborated on the project Mobiserv.
- Researchers in the United States are developing robot-caregiver prototypes.
Freeology Chart
Reading Comprehension
Fill-ins
Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the entire article, have them complete the following paragraphs taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.
Last year in___ where robots are considered “iyashi,” or___ the health ministry began a___ designed to meet work-force ___and help ___injuries by promoting nursing-care___ that assist with___and moving patients.
A___of European companies, universities and research institutions collaborated on Mobiserv, a project that developed a touch-screen-toting, humanoid-looking “social companion” ___that offers ___about appointments and ___and encourages social activity,___eating and exercise.
In___ researchers have developed ___ a robot that looks like a standing mirror cum ___monitors health___like blood pressure and has a screen for virtual doctor and visits.
Word List
metrics, Japan, program, medications, robots, shortages, family,
healing, prevent, lifting, consortium, vacuum cleaner, robot,
reminders, healthy, Sweden, GiraffPlus,
Grammar Focus
Structure and Usage
Directions: The following groups of sentences are from the article. One of the sentences in each group contains a grammatical error. Students are to identify the sentence (1, 2, or 3 ) from each group that contains the grammatical error.
I
- Each time I makes a house call, I stay much longer than I should.
- I can, and do, write prescriptions for her many medical problems.
- Researchers in the United States are developing robot-caregiver prototypes.
II
- Already, we have robots to assist in surgery.
- Robots are increasingly used in rehabilitation.
- You can saw older Japanese people chatting happily with a robot.
III
- In the next decade, robot caregiver prototypes will become much more sophisticated.
- In that new world, my lonely live would be improved by a robot caregiver.
- Are there ethical issues we will need to address? Of course.
III. Post Reading Tasks
Reading Comprehension Check
Directions: Students could use this Topic/Concept/Theme organizer from Write Design to assist them with discussing or writing about the main topic or theme of the article.
Discussion/Writing Exercise
Directions: Place students in groups and have them answer the following questions. Afterwards, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the following discussion topics.
1. The following 3 quotes are from the article. How would you put them into your own words? With your group members discuss which of the ideas or for or against robots for the elderly.
“Caregiving is hard work. More often than not, it is tedious, awkwardly intimate and physically and emotionally exhausting. Sometimes it is dangerous or disgusting. Almost always it is 24/7 and unpaid or low wage, and has profound adverse health consequences for those who do it. It is women’s work and immigrants’ work, and it is work that many people either can’t or simply won’t do. Many countries have acknowledged this reality by investing in robot development.”
“Researchers in the United States are developing robot-caregiver prototypes as well, but we have been slower to move in this direction. Already, we have robots to assist in surgery and very basic “walking” robots that deliver medications and other supplies in hospitals. Robots are increasingly used in rehabilitation after debilitating events like strokes. But a robot that cleans out your arteries or carries linens isn’t the same as a robot meant to be your friend and caregiver. Even within the medical community, this idea that machines could help fulfill more than just physical needs meets largely with skepticism, and occasionally with outrage.”
“But the biggest argument for robot caregivers is that we need them. We do not have anywhere near enough human caregivers for the growing number of older Americans. Robots could help solve this work-force crisis by strategically supplementing human care. Equally important, robots could decrease high rates of neglect and abuse of older adults by assisting overwhelmed human caregivers and replacing those who are guilty of intentional negligence or mistreatment.”
2. In your opinion are robots the correct choice for caring for the elderly? Provide reasons for your answers.
3. Would you consider getting a robot an elderly relative? For yourself when you get old?
3-2-1-Writing Activity
Directions: Allow students 5 minutes to write down three new ideas they’ve learned about robots for the elderly, two things they did not understand, and one thing they would like to know that the article did not mention. Review the responses as a class.
IV. Listening Activity
Video Clip: Robots as Caregivers in an Aging World – AARP Tech Beat
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
Directions: Have students look up the following terms before listening to the video: buzz, ASIMO, humanoid.
While Listening Activities
Sentence Fill-ins
Directions: Students listen for the correct word or phrase to complete the sentences taken from the video. They are to choose from the options presented.
In japan engineering/engineers have been designing/designating robots for years, knowing the country will need them to care for a rapid/rapidly aging population.
Something America may also require in the years/year ahead.
And that inspired a film/firm that created some buzz in the 2012 Sundance film festival.
Set in the not so distance/distant future, Robot and Frank follows the rocky/rock relationship between a man with early Alzheimer’s and his robot companion.
Now meet ASIMO, what Holiday/Honda calls the world’s most advanced/advance humanoid robot. ASIMO will soon be able to recognize a person’s features/feet and even distinguish between people if more than one is talking to the robot.
Questions for Discussion
Directions: Place students in groups and have them discuss the following questions.
- After viewing this video what new ideas have you learned about robots caring for the elderly?
- Did you agree with everything the speakers said? Discuss which comments you agreed with and which ones you tended not to agree with. Explain why.
- With your group members, make up questions that you would like to ask any of the speakers.
- What does ASIMO stand for? What are the capabilities of ASIMO?
- In your opinion would ASIMO be helpful to all elderly people?
- Would you like to have ASIMO as a companion? Why or why not?
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