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Assisted Living Vocabulary Lesson

Hello and welcome to the vocabulary lesson for the conversation “Assisted Living.” Now in this conversation I’m speaking with Joe about my grandmother. My grandmother is 88 years old. Actually, in about three months she will be 89 years old. And I’m just talking about problems that she’s starting to have from getting older.

Okay, let’s begin with the conversation.

I start off the conversation by saying, “I just got off the phone with my mom.” Now when I say just… I’m talking about a short time before. So a short time before I got off the phone… phone being short for telephone. So a short time before I got off the telephone with my mom.

And Joe says, “Oh…”

And oh is just a filler word. It’s not really needed in this sentence.

And Joe goes on to say, “how’s she doin’?”

How’s. This is short for how is. And doin’ is short for doing. Now you won’t really see doin’ especially, and probably not how’s, in written English. But you will definitely hear them in conversational English.

And then I say, “Oh, she’s a little bit stressed out.”

Stressed out. This means very worried. Stressed out. For example: I used to get stressed out before taking a science test. Stressed out.

And I go on to say, “We, um…”

And um is just a filler word. It’s not really needed.

And then I say, “we just had a long conversation about my grandmother.” And then Joe says, “Oh, how’s your grandmother doin’?” And I say, “Eh…”

And eh, is just… It’s not really needed here either. It’s just filler.

And then I say, “so-so.”

Now so-so… This means not good and not bad. So-so. An example of so-so would be: I asked Joe what he thought of the movie. He said it was just so-so. So not good and not bad. So-so.

And then I start to say, “My…” And Joe says, “Yeah?”

And yeah here means, really?

And then I go ahead and finish… I say, “mom and my uncle have their hands, really have their hands full right now.”

Or I’m saying they really have their hands full at this time. Have their hands full. This means very busy.

Have their hands full. For example: My friends Chuck and Patti have four children. They really have their hands full.

And then Joe says, “Yeah.”

And yeah here is just slang or casual or informal for yes. And so Joe is just agreeing with me.

And then I say, “Yeah, y’know…”

And y’know is short for you know.

And I go on to say, “they s-, a while back…”

Or I’m saying some time in the past.

“they started to notice…”

Or I’m saying they started to see.

“things every once in a while with my grandmother.”

Every once in a while. This means sometimes. Every once in a while. For example: Every once in a while I like to drink wine. Every once in a while.

And then I go on to say, “For example her starting to drive more erratically.” And erratically… This means unpredictably. Erratically.

And I go on to say, “And they got concerned…”

Or I’m saying they got worried.

“about that. And went to her doctor and explained…”

Or they told.

“everything to her doctor. And the doctor agreed, ‘Yeah, she shouldn’t be driving. ‘ So…” And so is just a filler word here. It’s not really needed.

And I go on to say, “the next time my grandmother went in…” And what I’m saying here is, the next time my grandmother went in for a doctor’s appointment.

And I go on to say, “my uncle and my mom both went and her d-, my grandmother’s doctor confronted her…”

Confronted meaning talked to her.

And then I say, “and said, ‘Y’know, I just think…’” Or I really think.

“‘it’s time to give up the keys and not drive anymore.’” Now when the doctor is telling my grandmother that she needs to give up the keys what she’s saying is that my grandmother should give her car keys to someone, such as my mom or my uncle, so that my grandmother would not try to drive whenever my uncle or my mother were not around her, were not with her.

And then Joe says, “Wow…”

And he’s just showing emotion here.

And he goes on to say, “I guess that was…”

Or he’s saying, I think maybe that was.

And I say, “And understand-, understandably…”

And, at the beginning of this sentence, is just filler. It’s not really needed. And when I’m saying understandably… I’m saying not surprisingly.

And I go on to say, “my grandmother was not happy but she did it.” So I’m saying she gave her car keys to… I think it was to my mother.

And then Joe says, “Yeah, I mean…”

Or he’s saying, what I’m trying to say.

“y’know, when you get to that age…”

Or he’s saying, when you get as old as your grandmother.

And Joe says, “I guess that’s bound to happen sooner or later.” Bound to happen. This means very likely to happen. Bound to happen. For example: I always knew that I wanted to live in another country aside from America. So when I moved to Korea I would have said that I believed that it was bound to happen. Bound to happen. And then when I say sooner or later… Sooner or later. An example of sooner or later would be that I always knew that I wanted to live in another country aside from America. So when I moved to Korea I would have said I knew that I would live in another country sooner or later.

Okay, moving on in the conversation, then I say, “Yeah, but now…” And but here is just a filler word. It’s not really needed.

And I go on to say, “um, here lately…”

Or I’m saying, about the past few weeks… few meaning more than two.

And I go on to say, “there have been quite a few more things concerning my mom and uncle.” Now quite a few… This means many. Quite a few. For example: There were quite a few people at the party last night. Quite a few.

And I go on to say, “So, y’know, ever since…”

Or I’m saying after.

“my grandfather passed away a few years ago…”

Now passed away… This means died. Passed away. For example: Joe’s grandfather passed away when he was 88 years old. Passed away.

And I go on to say, “uh…”

And uh is just a filler word here. It’s not really needed.

And then I say, “my grandmother’s just…”

And just is a filler word.

And I go on to say, “just kind of gone downhill since.”

Kind of. This means sort of. Sort of gone downhill since. An example of kind of would be: I kind of felt like I should have studied more for the test. Kind of. And when I say gone downhill… Gone downhill means to have become much worse. Gone downhill. For example: I used to really like the food at Mike’s Restaurant.

But ever since they hired a new cook the food has gone downhill. Gone downhill.

And then I say, “They’d been living in Florida…”

Now Florida… This is a state in the southeast of America.

And I go on to say, “and my mom and uncle decided to move my grandmother up just to be closer to them.”

Now when I say that my mom and uncle decided - they made the choice - to move my grandmother up… Up meaning to Georgia where they both live. And that’s the state that I’m from. Georgia is a state also in the southeast of America. It’s north of Florida. That’s why I say they decided to move her up… up from Florida to Georgia just to be closer to them.

And then I go on to say, “There’s no other family in Florida. She had friends there but no family. And I think it helped her a bit…”

Or I’m saying I think it helped her a little.

“but, um… she’s just, in general… I think, since he passed away, she’s just been going downhill.” In general. In general means overall. In general. For example: I liked a couple of parts in the movie. But in general I did not think it was very good. In general.

And then I go on to say in the conversation “For example, she has emphysema…” Emphysema. This is a disease caused from smoking cigarettes for many, many years.

And then Joe says, “Uh-huh.”

So he’s just agreeing with me, or he’s showing me that he’s listening to me.

And I say, “but, um, just I’d say in the past year she’s been on her oxygen tank a good bit…” Now oxygen tank… My grandmother has problems breathing because of the emphysema. So sometimes she has to breathe in and out from a machine. That’s what the oxygen tank is that I’m talking about. And when I say she’s been on her oxygen tank a good bit… A good bit means a lot. A good bit. An example of a good bit would be: I did a good bit of studying before my test. A good bit.

And then I say in the conversation “a lot, and, and was even hospitalized.” So hospitalized… I’m saying that my grandmother had to stay in a hospital for a few days.

And then I go on to say, “So it’s a… it’s been a problem in the past several years.” Or I’m saying, in the past many years.

“But it’s got… definitely…”

Or I’m saying for sure.

“gotten worse over the past year.”

Or I’m saying, it’s gotten really bad during the past year.

And I say, “Uh, something else is… she’s on a bunch of different medications, unfortunately.” Now medications… These are just medicines, different medicines. And unfortunately… I say unfortunately because I wish that my grandmother didn’t need to take a lot of medicine. Going back, when I say she’s on a bunch of different medications, or she’s on a bunch of different medicines… A bunch means a lot. A bunch.

For example: I bought a bunch of bananas at the store. A bunch.

And then I go on in the conversation to say, “And she’s just been mixing them up lately…” Mixing them up. This means confusing them. Mixing them up. For example: My cousin has so many children that I mix up their names. Mixing them up, or in this example, mix up.

And then I go on in the conversation to say, “which is not good.” So I’m saying it’s not good she’s mixing up, or she’s confusing, all her different medicines or medications.

And then I say, “I think it just makes her cloudy and confused then, in general.” Now when I say, it makes her cloudy… Cloudy means not clear or not thinking clearly. Cloudy. For example: Jimmy drank too much last night so he was a little cloudy this morning. Cloudy.

And then Joe says, “Yeah, I mean that can be really dangerous.” Or he’s saying, that can be very dangerous.

And then Joe goes on to say, “I mean she could take a, uh, the wrong dosage of a medication. And it… it could be lethal.”

Dosage of a medication. This means amount of a medication. Dosage. And when Joe says, it could be lethal… lethal if it does this… Lethal means deadly. Lethal… meaning it could kill her.

And then I say, “Yeah. Yeah, exactly.”

Or I’m saying yeah, for sure.

And then I go on to say, “So…yeah, they’re just… they’re thinking more and more like I said…” Or as I said.

“assisted living.”

Now assisted living… This is a place for older people to live when they need extra help. Assisted living.

And I go on to say, “Y’know, I’d say about a month or so ago they had, uh, sat my grandmother down…”

So I’m saying, they sat her down to talk to her.

And I go on to say, “and given her an ultimatum.”

Ultimatum. This is a last request to do something before action is taken. Ultimatum.

And I go on to say, “Y’know, when… when they were noticing a few things here and there…” Or I’m saying, when they were noticing a few things sometimes.

“like with her driving, they decided, ‘Okay, it’s time to do something.’” So I’m saying, when my mother and my uncle were noticing things - seeing things, with my grandmother… seeing things she was having problems with, like her driving - then my mother and my uncle decided that it was time to do something.

And I go on to say, “So they sat her down… and said…”

So this is my uncle now and my mother saying.

“’We’re givin’ you three choices.’”

And givin’… This is short for giving.

And then I go on to say, speaking for my mother and my uncle, “’You can go into assisted living.’” So they’re saying, you can go to live in assisted living. That’s the first choice that they’re giving my grandmother.

And I go on to say, “’Or you can have someone start coming in…’” This meaning coming into my grandmother’s house. So they’re saying, you can have someone start coming in.

“’regularly to sit with you…’”

Now regularly means usually or often. Regularly. For example: I used to exercise regularly. Regularly. And when they’re saying, you can have someone start coming into your house regularly, or often, to sit with you.

This is someone who would be going into my grandmother’s house just to make sure everything is going okay with her.

And I go on to say, “’make sure you’re taking your medications, the correct ones at the correct times.’”

So they’re saying this to my grandmother. You can have someone come in to make sure you’re doing… everything is okay with you… you’re doing everything like taking your correct medicine at the right times, at the correct times. So that’s the second thing they’re telling my grandmother that she can choose.

And then I go on to say, to tell Joe, “’Or you can go and live with, um, Susan’… my mom.” So this is the third choice that my uncle and my mother gave to my grandmother… that my grandmother could go live with my mother, Susan.

And then I go on to say in the conversation “And…my grandmother decided she didn’t want to live with my parents. She didn’t want to put them out.”

Put them out. This means to inconvenience. Put them out. For example: When my parents visited San Francisco I asked them if they wanted to sleep in my bed. But they said they did not want to put me out. So they stayed in a hotel. Put them out, or in this example, put me out.

And then I go on to say, “And she definitely didn’t want to go to assisted living. So she chose to have a sitter.”

A sitter being a person to come to my grandmother’s house and help her.

And then I say, “She didn’t like that either, but she realized…” Or she knew.

“she had no choice. Well, she had to choose one of the three choices. So she’s been having a woman coming in like three days a week. And since that - this woman has been coming in then - my mom and uncle have realized, ‘Oh, she needs someone actually…’” Or she needs someone really.

“’kinda seven days a week, not just three.’”

Kinda. This is short for kind of.

And I go on to say, “And they talked to the agency.”

An agency is the place where my mother and my uncle paid money for a sitter to go to my grandmother’s house. So I’m saying that they talked to the agency.

And I go on to say, “Uh, this particular woman couldn’t come in seven days a week.” So I’m telling Joe this woman that my mother and uncle started paying to go to my grandmother’s house… she was only coming in three days a week. And she’d said she couldn’t do it four more days a week. She couldn’t do it for seven days total a week.

And I go on to say, “So the agency actually…”

Now actually is just a filler word here. It’s not really needed.

So I’m saying, “the agency actually found someone else.” And I say, “I think… I think she’s only… this new person’s only coming in two days. So that leaves still two days out of the week that my grandmother doesn’t have anyone coming in. But my mom and uncle are even thinking it’s to the point…”

Or I’m saying, they’re even thinking it’s time.

“that she kinda needs someone twenty-four seven.”

Twenty-four seven. This means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Twenty-four seven. An example of twentyfour seven would be: A lot of stores in New York are open twenty-four seven.

And then I go on to say, “Well, not when she’s sleeping, I shouldn’t say, but, when… definitely when she’s awake.”

So when she’s not sleeping… she needs someone there all the time when she’s not sleeping.

And then Joe says, “Yeah, I mean that… this sounds like a really difficult situation. I really feel for your mom.”

When Joe says feel for… this means he feels sorry for. He feels sorry for my mom. An example of feel for is: My friend Tom’s father just died. I really feel for him. Feel for.

Okay, this is the end of the vocabulary lesson for the conversation “Assisted Living.” So if you need to now, go back and listen to the conversation until you have a basic understanding of the vocabulary. But as always, you know, make sure that you’re not getting too worried or stressed if you’re not understanding. Just take your time. And when you feel ready, then go to the mini-story.

Alright. Enjoy the mini-story. Enjoy the rest of the lessons. Take care. Goodbye.