Conversation between Peter (caregiver) and Mrs Jones (resident)

Situation: Mrs Jones has been advised by her doctor to change her diet to one that is considered ‘more healthy’. She discusses the diet with one of the caregivers at the residential care home, though she is clearly not happy about what the doctor wants her to eat, or rather what he doesn’t want her to eat.

Audio: Listen to the audio file here.

Grammar points:

Reported speech – range of tenses

Persons: Peter (caregiver), Mrs Jones (resident) Location: The discussion takes place in Mrs Jones’ Room.

Mrs Jones:	Hello, who is it?
Peter:	Hello Mrs Jones, it’s me Peter. I wanted to ask you what the doctor said when you visited him this morning.
Mrs Jones:	Oh not much, apart from telling me that most of the things I eat aren’t good for me anymore.
Peter:	Oh, What exactly did he say?
Mrs Jones:	He explained that he had completed an assessment of my general health and diet. He told me he had been concerned about some of my food choices.
Peter:	Such as?
Mrs Jones:	Some of the cakes and the savoury snacks I like. He also took some measurements around my body.
Peter:	And why was that?
Mrs Jones:	He said he was checking my body fat. He suggested I should try to be more active.
Peter:	Did you mention your exercise classes?
Mrs Jones:	Yes, I told him I had been exercising regularly over the past few months.
Peter:	So what has he told you to eat?
Mrs Jones:	He said I should be eating more fruit, solid fruit and not juice.
Peter:	Anything else?
Mrs Jones:	Yes, he told me to try and eat more green vegetables and to avoid fried food and pastries.
Peter:	Did he mention drinks?
Mrs Jones:	Yes, he did. He said I should drink more water. I told him I drink tea and that contains water.
Peter:	What did he say to that?
Mrs Jones:	He didn’t say anything. He just gave me a funny look.
Peter:	Well what he’s advised sounds sensible to me. I’m sure you can make these few changes to your diet.
Mrs Jones:	I suppose so, and he told me he had been monitoring all of the residents in the same way.
Peter:	When will you see him again?
Mrs Jones:	He said he would be visiting the nursing home next month.
Peter:	And has he set you a weight loss target?
Mrs Jones:	Yes, but only 1 kilo to start with.
Peter:	Oh that’s not so bad.
Mrs Jones:	He also said I should continue exercising as well as eating more healthily.
Peter:	Well you know I can help you with that.