A review of the scientific literature devoted to informal care of demented people has shown two ways of conceiving this form of help. The oldest and dominant one sees caregiving as a burden; the more recent and less frequently reported perceives caregiving as a significant experience for the caregiver but also for the care receiver. This paper will focus on this second perspective, and describe some of the meanings that the care experience can have. On an affective level, caregiving is situated in the context of the relationship history, caregiving being the occasion to foster intimacy.
