“Parents’ untold stories”

In the survey, Vietnamese seniors (aged over 50) were asked about their wishes, concerns and untold stories they kept from their children; and their children (aged 25 - 40 years old) were asked whether they were aware of their parents’ untold stories and silent wishes. For the group of seniors, the survey findings found that they secretly wished to pass on Vietnamese traditional values to their children as part of their legacy and they take pride in their children’s success and see it as their utmost important motivation. Their children, who were also surveyed, were overwhelmingly unaware of their parent’s silent wishes and untold stories.

The survey also found that most parents and their caregiver children do not notice early signals of declining in strength and overall health. The survey reveals that 4 out of 10 senior parents find difficulties in opening up their heart to their children - often creating a misunderstanding between the parent and their child. One of the primary topics parents had trouble opening up about is their health; and according to the survey - parents prefer to keep their health concerns to themselves because they do not want to burden their children. The health concerns parents kept untold covered a broad range including strength limitations, tiredness, and lack of sleep. Seven out of 10 children are unaware or are unable to recognise the early signals of their parent’s health decline until it worsens at later stages.

Mrs. Thanh Mai - 54 years old, mom of singer Phuong Vy Idol, shared: “I used to stay up late at night to prepare performance costumes for my daughter before. But after 50, I’m getting tired easily just by doing housework. This is the secret that I never say to my daughter. I am afraid that if she knows she would not allow me to do anything. She’s so busy with work already, not to mention to worry about me”.

Aging is a shown to be a concern among all elderly parents. Many parents were unaware that adults can naturally lose up to eight percent of muscle every decade starting in their 40s, and after age 70 that rate almost doubles up to 15 per cent¹. Being unrecognized and underestimated, muscle loss would lead to many severe damages in physical health. Research has shown that 10% muscle loss can reduce immune ability and increase risk of infection while 20% can cause weaknesses, thinner skin and affect body healing system. Yet, these problems are foreseeable and can be slowed down or reversed if elderly people aware of muscle loss signs and receive enough support from caregivers for a more enjoyable and fuller life.

According to Doctor Nguyen Viet Quynh Thu, Specialty II, FV Hospital, “At the age of 50, people’s health is declining as the result of the deterioration of muscles or muscle loss. During this period, regular exercise and proper and balanced nutrition is very important to help slow down the muscle loss process and to keep elderly people mentally and physically healthy. I would recommend elderly people to provide themselves with oral nutrition supplements which include muscle-support nutrients like protein or HMB.”

In contrast, the survey results show that despite being unaware of parents’ health weaknesses, 80% of children reported that they care about their parents’ health conditions and show their willingness to support parents’ in regaining strength with nutrition solutions.

Douglas Kuo, General Manager of Abbott in Vietnam said: “By publishing this survey, we wish to close the gaps between generations and encourage caregivers them to connect more with their parents to recognize early signals of health decline and help them regain strength. We are committed to helping people live longer and better through good health - facilitating the creation of long-lasting family bonding moments that matter”.

To see the “Parents’ Untold Stories” video, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JckYtRop7zw ; and follow @EnsureGoldVietnam on Youtube to hear more about the parents’ stories throughout Vietnam during the month of Vu Lan.