HYDERABAD: Are dreams a prerogative of only the young? Have parents postponed their dreams to focus on their children? Will they ever have the strength to chase their dreams again? A new survey conducted by healthcare firm Abbott, the maker of nutritional product Ensure, set out to get the answers on dreams, aspirations and the dynamics that defines the great Indian family.
The Dreams survey found that Indian families are more connected than ever and they are discussing their dreams, but that loss of strength is stopping many older adults from achieving those unmet goals. In the survey, parents in Delhi and Chennai have cut down their travel and socializing as they do not have the energy anymore, even to do their daily chores.
The survey was conducted amongst young working professionals, men and women aged 25-40 years old and their parents aged over 50 across Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. Across all six metros, the survey showed a strong connection between older adults, their children and the unmet dreams.
Dreams around kin: A striking 90 percent of those over 50 have dreams focused on their children - career, marriage and settling down.
Winds of Change: 65 percent of parents have unfulfilled dreams relating to their own desires. Travel tops the list of dreams. Entrepreneurship and financial independence are other important ones. While 1 in 4 said they wanted grandchildren, only 15 percent wanted to help raise those grandchildren, a sentiment shared across metros and gender.
Physical strength is key: 97 percent agreed that if they had sufficient physical strength, they could realise their dreams.
That’s because lack of strength affects quality of life in many ways, including exercise, cutting down on travel and socializing, and even an inability to do daily activities like shopping or picking up heavy things.
About how a person’s strength can be managed with proper nutrition and exercise, Dr. Shweta Rastogi, Clinical Dietician at Mumbai’s Gurunanak Hospital says, “As a country we have a life expectancy of 65 years, where most people experience loss of strength from a prime age of 50.
To restore strength and energy, older adults need a complete and balanced scientific nutrition with the right mix of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. The pursuit of a strong healthy life rests with both parents and children. While nutrition aids physical strength, children or caregivers can be the ultimate source of mental strength. It’s imperative that children motivate parents to be healthy with good diet and exercise routine.”
Says Amal Kelshikar, Country Head & General Manager, Abbott’s nutrition business in India, “Having an honest conversation about the role nutrition can have in giving adults strength and energy at any age, we hope more adults in India can continue realising their dreams.”
Today dinner conversations for Indian families need to become more balanced- putting more of the spotlight on the generation that has raised the millennials as much the millennials themselves.
Discussing the dreams
So how well placed are children to play this role? For sons and daughters discussing their parents’ dreams, the survey brought some interesting insights to the fore:
Gratitude before attitude- A thumping 93 percent of children feel they owe their parents a huge debt for raising them and making them what they are.
Connected families- 80 percent of parents surveyed are living with at least one child, and spend at least two hours a day with them. For those not living with a parent, one in two children said they talk to their parents on a daily basis.
Decoding parents’ dreams- 78 percent of children believe their parents face obstacles in achieving their dreams, more pronounced in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata (84 to 87 percent) versus Bangalore and Mumbai (65 to 69 percent). Lack of strength emerges as the top barrier with 44 percent children stating this was a key reason parents couldn’t live a more fulfilling life.