Detail Cantuman

ABSTRACT
Introduction: Thai society is becoming an aging society due to the increase of
the population aged 60 years or above. Developing the elderly care system in
the community is important and needs cooperation from many sectors in
order to provide care for the elderly effectively. The objective of this research
was to explore the meanings of the elderly care system in community in
Thailand, using a qualitative research approach.
Methods: This descriptive qualitative research design was conducted with 40
informants at a community in a province located at the lower northern region
of Thailand. The informants were divided into two groups. 1) The main
informants were the Chief Executive of the Local Administrative Organization
(LAO). 2) The secondary informants were those who had been guided to help
the elderly in the community and family. The data were collected by
observation, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and document
study. The reliability of the data was verified by triangulation. The data were
analyzed by content analysis.
Results: The results of the meanings of the elderly care system in community
was defined as five themes: providing help and support, having networks,
volunteerism, having knowledge and knowledge management, and
community solidarity.
Conclusion: The elderly care system in the community is in line with the
participation process of all parties, both inside and outside the area, to jointly
conduct activities to deal with problems and develop various operations in the
area to support the elderly care system in the community.