263 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 19 DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-9818-3.ch019 ABSTRACT The aging population means that health systems rely on informal carers to meet the physical, psycho- logical, and emotional needs of older people. In this context, it is particularly important to know the perceived quality of life of informal carers. Health studies highlight the close relationship between care work and the carer’s objective health. Through a qualitative ethnographic methodology, by means of open interviews with carers from rural areas of Extremadura (Spain), this study deepens the knowledge of the emotional costs to which the fgure of the informal carer is subjected. The authors approach the social-emotional dimension in places where it is not always possible for public health policies to be fully developed. In this situation, moreover, some moral characteristics of these environments take on special importance. Informal Cares and Caregivers in Rural Elderly: Emotional Costs in Public Health Policies Nuria María García Perales Universidad de Extremadura, Spain Borja Rivero Jiménez Universidad de Extremadura, Spain David Conde Caballero Universidad de Extremadura, Spain Beatriz Muñoz González Universidad de Extremadura, Spain Lorenzo Mariano Juarez Universidad de Extremadura, Spain