This monographic publication examines the work done by female immigrants caring for elderly people in their Madrid homes, in what is an essentially informal market. The picture is built up from the spoken accounts of carers and their charges, as well as the representatives of stakeholder institutions and organizations.

Their opinions, as gleaned through in-depth interviews, are analyzed using qualitative methods in order to isolate the factors that mediate between the satisfaction of the needs of the elderly person and their family and the desire of the immigrant carer to become part of the labor market .

They also offer insights into the informal market of immigrant carers, including aspects like labor relations, working conditions and the nature of the tasks involved. In this respect, the book undertakes an exploratory study of the economic value of the informal market and the personal relations forged within it.

The result is a penetrating analysis of elderly care in an immigration context, in a society at the end of its expansion cycle. Its pages of quantitative data on population aging, the disability and dependence suffered by many senior citizens and migration in the Madrid Region provide a useful counterpoint to the reality that underpins the relations between the actors in this informal market, a reality that can only be apprehended through qualitative introspection.

Its stimulating content and thought-provoking interpretations should make the book interesting reading for the general public as well as researchers and professionals in the spheres of social services, immigration, labor relations, health and elderly care.