Transition of new residents to long-term care: basing practice on residents' perspective.

Admission to a long-term care facility is a time of disorganization and adaptation. New residents experience transition breakdown beginning with a sense of homelessness as they learn the rules of institutional living. With the passage of time, residents may be able to create a place of their own. Story sharing is an important way to help new residents integrate into the unfamiliar long-term care facility.