Abstract

The goal of this paper is to highlight the manner in which custodial care is structured by the environment in which it takes place. For this, I analyze how formal service providers respond to custodial care needs in two locations, in the home and within long-term care facilities. While relying on an apparent objective measure of the care receiver’s needs, the formal response to care is shaped both by the location in which caregiving takes place as well as by the availability of unpaid caregivers. I argue that a better understanding of custodial care would be that of a relational activity that takes into account the environment and the actors involved in the care relationship.