A deeper understanding of care demands the methodological finesse of qualitative research: we must observe, listen, and witness to expose what matters to care recipients. In this paper, we – a team of three: one early-career researcher and two supervisors – reflect on our experiences of designing and then seeking ethics approval for ethnographic research on care for older adults, many of whom demonstrate a lack of capacity to consent to research. Viewing experiences of well-being and dignity as embedded within interpersonal negotiations, this study privileges care home residents' daily life, looking to stories and observations of daily life to reveal the complexities of well-being in the care home setting. This paper emphasizes the importance of using qualitative research methods to gain a deeper understanding of care practices, particularly in the context of care for older adults with varying cognitive capacities. By privileging the daily life experiences of care home residents and employing the logic of process consent, we aim to include the voices of all participants, not just those who can provide written informed consent. However, obtaining ethics approval for this type of research presents several challenges, requiring careful negotiation and the inclusion of consultee advice. This paper highlights the tensions between procedural ethics and the need for better inclusion of vulnerable populations in ethnographic research on care. By addressing these challenges, we can move towards a more context-sensitive and humanised approach to research ethics that values the lived experiences of care recipients.

对护理的更深入理解需要定性研究的方法论技巧：我们必须观察、倾听和见证，以揭示对护理接受者来说重要的事情。在本文中，我们——一个由三人组成的团队：一名早期职业研究员和两名主管——反思了我们设计并寻求老年人护理民族志研究伦理批准的经验，其中许多人表现出缺乏同意的能力研究。这项研究着眼于人际谈判中所蕴含的幸福感和尊严体验，优先关注疗养院居民的日常生活，通过日常生活的故事和观察来揭示疗养院环境中幸福感的复杂性。本文强调使用定性研究方法来更深入地了解护理实践的重要性，特别是在护理具有不同认知能力的老年人的背景下。通过优先考虑疗养院居民的日常生活经历并采用过程同意的逻辑，我们的目标是包容所有参与者的声音，而不仅仅是那些能够提供书面知情同意的人。然而，获得此类研究的伦理批准会带来一些挑战，需要仔细谈判并听取顾问的建议。本文强调了程序伦理与更好地将弱势群体纳入护理民族志研究的必要性之间的紧张关系。通过应对这些挑战，我们可以采取更加情境敏感和人性化的研究伦理方法，重视护理接受者的生活经历。