This article examines how care encounters at the elders' homes are forged, and how the way these encounters are forged avoids or evokes the social imaginary of the fourth age. Data were gathered in Portugal from elders receiving home care (16 cases), their care workers (eight cases) and family carers (six cases), through participant observation and informal conversations (conducted at the elders' homes), as well as focus groups. The collected data were analysed according to the procedures of Framework Analysis.
