The article presents a comparative development and current state of care for the elderly in Poland and Albania, as well as some of its determinants. These countries were selected for analysis both because of their post-socialist welfare state tradition and because of the similarly strong familization of care. The text discusses both the health and socio-economic situation of the elderly population and demographic trends affecting care (based on Eurostat, WHO, national statistics) as well as the panorama of the current care system created by the state and/or the private and non-governmental sector. Based on the analyses, several conclusions were presented. The high level of internal and international migration (especially in Albania) disrupts the model of family care for seniors, especially in some regions of these countries. The countries studied vary in the types of chronic diseases older people suffer from, which should influence the type of care provided. The scale of social services provided in both countries is far from sufficient, but based on numerical data it can be concluded that in Poland support, both institutional and environmental, is much more widely available. In Albania, the main provider of formal services is the private sector, and in Poland, there is a move towards a multi-sector model, increasingly entrusting the running of institutions, day care centers and care services to non-public entities and the civic sector (volunteering, neighbors). The directions of care policy in both countries are similar, consistent with those set by the EU, and aim at deinstitutionalization and multi-sectoralization.