Few studies have integrated the concept of empowerment in their analysis of the interaction between formal services and informal caregivers. This study was conducted among 32 female informal caregivers living in a district served by a Montreal local community service centre (CLSC). It was designed to identify those aspects of formal services that either empowered caregivers or increased their powerlessness. Three major issues were identified: norms applicable to care giving; access to and control over resources and services; and power relationships with practitioners. Depending on their context and their perception of their role as a caregiver, caregivers reported that their recourse to services was either an empowering experience or one that increased their powerlessness.
