Emotional journey behind the decision: Stories from conservators of aging adults with intellectual disabilities

There is an abundance of research regarding the topic on individuals with intellectual disabilities, as they are a vulnerable population. Most of the existing research focuses on the individual with the disability and not at their support system i.e conservators. Conservators of intellectually disabled adults take on a huge responsibility, a responsibility not being explored in the literature. Understanding the experiences, emotions and thought process that conservators needs overall help the conservatee maintain a good quality of life. Social workers need to be aware of the conservator experience to better work with consumer and the entire family as a unit. Through the use of photography and the tool photovoice, participating conservators will express their emotions before and after placement. Along with a 20-minute interview, participants will have an opportunity to explain their symbolic photography. In this exploratory study, the researcher sets to understand the thought process and the emotions of the participating conservators placing their adult intellectual disabled family member in a long term care facility.