A conservatorship is a legal determination by the court placing the interest of a vulnerable adult in the care and protection of another.
An individual with a “disability” for purposes of a Conservatorship is one for whom autonomy has become either partially or totally impaired. In other words, the individual lacks the ability to absorb information, to understand its implications, to correctly perceive the environment, or to understand the relationship between his or her desires and actions. When a person’s autonomy becomes impaired, others step in to make choices on the person’s behalf, to promote the person’s best interests and to protect the person from harm. This process is called a “Conservatorship” or in certain cases a “Guardianship”.
The Office of Conservatorship Management encourages Guardians and Conservators to keep the best interests of the disabled foremost in all decision making.
*In re Conservatorship of Groves, 109 S.W.3d 317 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003)