Leisure Opportunities for the Aged in Missionaries of Charity (MOC) (Mother Teresa), Tinsukia, Assam, India

Missionaries of Charity(MOC) (Mother Teresa) Tinsukia is a charity home under MOC Calcutta which was established in 1950 by Saint Mother Teresa, one of the 20^th century’s greatest humanitarian with the aim to provide ‘wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor’. The organization has 4,500 members who run different charity centres, orphanages, nursing homes etc. for the aged, the poor and the homeless, sick children, abandoned children, and so on regardless of their religion.

MOC Centre at Tinsukia, Assam is one such home where especially thirty five aged (60 years and above) are residing. Few of them are mentally sick, blind, physically challenged as well. All of them were poor homeless people rescued from the streets.

This paper highlights the leisure opportunities for the aged residing in MOC Tinsukia home. We have interviewed the thirty five aged, seven sisters, two Doctors, one Trainer, five Numbers of staff of MOC, Tinsukia and fifteen local leaders and senior citizens. Altogether there were sixty five numbers of respondents. Secondary sources are also used.

Major finding are:

1. Majority of respondents opined that they get lot of leisure time in the MOC home as they get satisfactory care and support.
2. In the morning and evening, they participate in prayers and do physical exercise under the guidance of a trainer.
3. At 3 or 4 pm they go for walks.
4. Gossiping, reading, playing games, watching TV, singing, playing and listening to music, drawing, cleaning their campus, etc are their leisure time activities.
5. Two respondents were found to be completely bed ridden and they pass their time in bed.
6. In a few cases psychological counseling and guidance by expert are offered as they have aggressive behavior and abnormal activities like throwing water in and around.
7. Some of them also assist the staff of MOC.