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Introduction: For health professionals that seek to provide care which aligns with the values, beliefs, practices and perceived need, it is a challenge to know the heterogeneity and cultural diversity of a population group which is rapidly aging. Objective: This article describes the dynamics and health care practices of a family in poverty living with an elderly person with disabilities in the city of Bogotá (Colombia). Method: A qualitative study was developed based on the oral history of life, constructed with the participation of three members of the Vargas family. In-depth interviews total 894 minutes of recording. The collection, processing and data analysis was carried out following the procedure proposed by the Brazilian professor and researcher José Carlos Sebe Bom Meihy. Results: Two major themes emerged: The Vargas family: Between glocal and liquid and The Vargas: between survival and struggle for dignity. Conclusions: The care occurs as an expression of family solidarity in an ambivalent and tense dynamic, with economic and emotional loads which bring deterioration in the quality of life for those who take them. The family supports in the private sphere the heavy burden of care, accumulating many more social disadvantages and in turn end up trapped in a circle of humiliation and indignity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]