In this position paper we propose that many forms of care can and should be implicit with greater effort to ‘normalise’ care by supporting and instilling care values of empathy, compassion, and dignity; what we term the ‘subtleties of care’. There is a key role for design in developing asset-based care (Garven et al., 2016) which supports and responds to the aspirations and capabilities of people to enable eudaimonic wellbeing and prevent the assumption of the ‘cared for’, dependent role. The creation of asset-based care experiences can also promote a sense of identity that enhances self-worth, personal growth and control, shifting care from a transactional model of providing and receiving, to a model which values the contribution of the person, self-care, wider circles of care (including families and professionals) and the role of the community.