Abstract
As older persons moving through the stage of dependence and seeking for help, some of them needed
to receive care in long-term care facilities. This transition period can be very emotional and stressful event.
This qualitative study aimed to examine the experiences of Thai elderly (n = 19) focusing in their adaptations
in the transitional period in long-term care facilities. Participants (≥ 60 years old) who moved to the
long-term care facilities for at least 6 months and had partially impaired of IADLs or ADLs, were interviewed
using open-ended questions. Example of the questions included: “How do you make the decisions
of moving?“, “What were your experiences before moving?“, “How do you feel about the new place and
come up with?” Qualitative results were analyzed by content analysis. The analysis was made to find the
similarities and differences between the experiences of participants. The results showed that the elderly
experienced their transitional period differently. Key determinant was the extent to which they were able to
control over the decision to move to long-term care facilities. Participants who preserved their autonomy
learned to adapt and accepted the transitional period better than the participants who lost their control.
Meanwhile the elderly who were forced to move and had family conflicts, tended to have depression. Facing
death and functional decline, some elders gained the concepts of life cycle and became more calm and
motivated to modify their behaviors for maintaining their capability of livings as long as they could.
