Future Care Planning for Ageing Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: Family Caregiver Perspectives in Thailand.

Families of adults with intellectual disabilities in Thailand predominantly relied on family-based care rather than formal support systems for future care planning.

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine caregivers of adults with intellectual disabilities across four Thai provinces.
• Adults with intellectual disabilities were aged over 40 years.
• Most families lacked clear future care plans due to limited services, financial constraints and cultural values.
• Reliance on informal family care was a key theme identified through thematic analysis.

A present-focused coping mindset was identified among caregivers, which provided comfort but often delayed future care planning.

• Present-focused coping was one of the key themes identified through Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis.
• Caregivers coped by focusing on the present and maintaining hope.
• This mindset was often influenced by meaningful relationships and Buddhist values.
• While providing comfort, the present-focused mindset 'often delayed planning.'

Financial insecurity was identified as a major barrier to future care planning for families of adults with intellectual disabilities in Thailand.

• Financial insecurity was identified as one of the key themes in the thematic analysis.
• Financial constraints were cited as a reason most families lacked clear future care plans.
• Key needs identified included increased financial support and more employment opportunities.
• Thailand has limited formal support for persons with intellectual disabilities, compounding financial pressures on families.

Caregivers demonstrated limited knowledge about future care planning options for their relatives with intellectual disabilities.

• Limited planning knowledge was identified as one of the key themes through thematic analysis.
• Nine caregivers across four Thai provinces were interviewed using semi-structured interviews.
• The findings highlight the need for accessible planning resources to address this knowledge gap.
• Limited services available in Thailand contributed to the lack of planning knowledge and options.

Caregiver self-care and the need for respite support were identified as significant themes among family caregivers of adults with intellectual disabilities in Thailand.

• Caregiver self-care and the need for respite support were among the key themes identified through Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis.
• Respite care was identified as a key need to sustain caregivers' long-term caregiving roles.
• The findings highlight the need for stronger respite services alongside financial and planning support.
• Nine caregivers participated in the qualitative study conducted across four Thai provinces.

Buddhist values and cultural norms in Thailand shaped caregivers' approaches to future care planning, reinforcing family-based care and present-focused orientations.

• Buddhist values were cited as influencing caregivers' present-focused mindset and hope-based coping.
• Cultural values were identified as one of the reasons most families lacked clear future care plans.
• The reliance on informal family care was attributed in part to cultural values alongside limited services and financial constraints.
• Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine caregivers across four Thai provinces and analysed using thematic analysis.