I come from Hong Kong. I am conducting a mixed methods study on the experience of persons with intellectual disabilities who developed dementia in residential care homes in Hong Kong This population group is specifically under concern as persons with intellectual disabilities are considered as "mentally incapacitated" since childhood and therefore are often lacking in the opportunity to express their self and to exercise their autonomy in a society that deprived of their power. I am investigating issues such as the sociocultural context that is affecting the residential living of individuals with intellectual disabilities and dementia, and how dementia has affected the personhood of these individuals in an institutional setting. I hope this study will add on our understanding on this vulnerable group who seldom become the main participants of academic research and thus will enhance the care of older persons with intellectual disabilities in the near future.
