Current approaches to infection prevention and control (IPC) were initially designed for acute care and do not necessarily meet the needs of older people in residential aged care. Evidence is needed, developed with residents, families and staff, to guide the aged care sector. As part of a larger study, we conducted in-depth interviews with residents, their families and carers to explore their perceptions and lived experiences of IPC in residential aged care. Interviews were transcribed and inductive thematic analysis was conducted. Eight residents and 14 family members/carers completed interviews. While the importance of IPC for protecting the health of residents was uncontested, participants’ experiences of IPC were linked to a range of other priorities related to health, well-being and sources of meaning. While access to health care was vital, residential aged care was viewed, first and foremost, as a place of living the final stages of life, rather than as a health care setting. As well as preventing and controlling infections, approaches to IPC need to respond to residents’ and families’ needs for social connection, touch and intimacy, dignity, purpose, personal hygiene, cleanliness, comfort, pleasure and end of life choices. Implementation of IPC in residential aged care homes requires approaches that move beyond applying guidelines based only on a clinical model of IPC. Residential aged care homes are settings for diverse ways of living and caring. Approaches to care need to be flexible, negotiated and re-negotiated over time, and developed in collaboration with residents, their families, carers and staff.