ABSTRACT
Caring is a gendered activity. The demand for care and the impact of caring, particularly care for those with dementia, is also gendered, falling largely on the shoulders of older women. The focus of this chapter is on gender and care: the gendered demand and impact of caring, and the precarious position of older women who, invisible, marginalised and largely forgotten, are caring for those with dementia. The vital contribution of these older women is ignored, their knowledge, experience and skills rarely acknowledged. We need to listen to, acknowledge and support these women. Advocacy groups, representing and led by older women, are leading the way in devising community based solutions and providing models for what a caring society can be.
