Care of the elderly in Botswana is solely afamily responsibility. In the absence of formalprograms for the elderly it is important tounderstand the cultural beliefs that guidedecision making regarding acceptance of elderlycare. The purpose of this study was to explorethe experiences of family caregivers to olderpersons in Botswana. Using grounded theorymethodology, 24 caregivers who were caring foran older person were interviewed. The findingsindicate that the perceptions that guided thecaregivers' decision making process ofacceptance or non-acceptance of assistance fromboth family members and the government fellinto three inter-related but distinctcategories: Stigma, Appropriate-inappropriateforms of care; and Sense of Place. It isrecommended that cultural sensitivity should beconsidered in designing models of support forfamilies who are looking after their olderrelatives. Finally, a clear understanding ofthe perceptions of family members' needs mustbe emphasized as these differ from healthworkers' perceptions of family needs.