In other words, the complementarity
of the two systems is less compatible than is often assumed.
Second, the analysis that guides most empirical studies on
the relationship between formal and informal care systems
is premised on the gendered assumption that the two are
distinct entities, with family care rarely depicted as “care
work”. This view not only simplifies the relationship between
formal and informal caregiving, but it also fails to capture the
specific commonalities and discerning differences between
them. Thus, the differences between the two care systems
with respect to power, status, authority, and resources are
rarely considered in these studies. One exception, however,
was Ward-Griffin and Marshall [38] who found home care
nurses and family caregivers of older chronically ill elders
living in Canada engaged in a bidirectional labour process
of “work transfer”, one that depended on the “free” labour
of family caregivers. Although this particular study sheds
light on the complexity and interconnectedness of formalinformal
care and points to the need to conceptualize eldercare
as work, regardless of who does it, it did not focus on
dementia home care.