The concept of person centred care is increasingly popular within healthcare in Sweden (1), and the ongoing reform “Good Quality, Local Healthcare “ (2) has been central in that development (3). Even though informal carers are included in the ongoing reform, position papers concerning person centred care primarily focus on partnership between the patient/service user and health and social care staff (4). In contrast, the recent Swedish National Carer Strategy (5) recognizes the need for recognition of informal carers, and the internationally adopted concept of integrated, people-centred care also highlights informal carers as partners alongside the patient and formal health and care professionals (6) to ensure sustainable long-term care systems within Europe (7, 8). This presentation explores this divergence of views regarding the role of informal carers within person centred care with reference to recent PhD thesis findings regarding society’s views of formal and informal care for older people within a Swedish context (9). The PhD studies illuminate the welfare technology solution discourse, that is, arguments in policy for the implementation and use of welfare technology to meet the challenges of an ageing population, finite financial resources and staff shortages, from the angle of international research, Swedish local policy, local politicians and older adults represented by pensioners’ organisations. The presentation will focus on the findings concerning informal carers, which revealed how they were positioned as part of the older person’s social sphere. This position ignores the help, support and/or care they provide to their older family member or friend on a regular basis. The pensioners’ organisations viewed the discourse with concern and positioned informal carers as crucial for the older person’s security and wellbeing. The presentation will conclude by inviting delegates to consider informal carers’ role within person centred health and care services operating in their respective countries.