The meaning of family-like care among operators of small board and care homes

Thirty-six operators of small board and care homes were interviewed to expl ore how they conceptualize the care that they provide to frail, elderly per sons. The meanings these operators attach to the care they provide reveal, through stories of "why" and "how" they provide care, both shared meanings and dimensions of difference in how they view their work. A range of motiva tions (the "why" of care), from altruism to economics, combine with varied styles of service delivery (the "how" of care), from full domestic integrat ion to separate domains, to create a typology of meanings in this form of r esidential care. Implications of these dimensions for quality of care and s ocial policy are derived from this typology.