Our research project aims at presenting two complementary forms of progress in home care regimes in three European countries at local level: social learning (informal arrangement), and (institutional) innovation. Following the analysis of the national care framework for the aged and disabled, local case studies in Switzerland, Germany and Scotland will be selected. Case studies will both focus on aged people in need of rather “regular” care services or on complex cases – people suffering from dementia, hard to reach population requiring a wider variety of services and more intensive care provision. The main outcome of our research will be to address clear recommendations about factors and dynamics triggering positive processes of learning or of innovation in the domain of home care delivery for the aged and disabled people.