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Formal home care has become increasingly widespread in the West. Sooner or later, it will be one of the conditions allowing the elderly to stay at home. But what about the agency of the elderly when they are facing losses typically associated with old age and have to ask for unfamiliar services and persons in the intimacy of their own home? Interviews conducted with elderly people aged eighty and over living in a region of Switzerland showed that the elderly person’s role in this situation, even if it is jeopardized by some constraints, is far from marginal. Understanding this situation requires us to consider the person’s life course, his or her resources, as well as the contexts he or she is involved in. The types of services –domestic help or care, and private or public aid –also have an influence, along with the organization process and the work of caregivers.