Objective To deeply understand the perceptions of caring among an institutionalized elderly population, and to provide references for further improvement of caring in elder-care institutions.Methods A phenomenological research design was employed. Eighteen older persons from 3 elder-care institutions received one-to-one semi-structured interviews, then data were transcribed and analyzed using the Colaizzi′s method.Results Two categories were identified, the elderly perceived better caring in daily living care, colorful entertainment, warm volunteer service, adequate caring from the Communist Party and government, feel the warmth of family relationship, and peer support. They perceived inadequate caring in additional service for convenience of living, difficulty in communication with person living in the same room, insufficient medical assurance, lack of individualized caring, and feeling of being disrespected. Conclusion The institutionalized elderly perceive adequate caring, but some aspects should be improved.Awareness and competence of caring among workers in elder-care institutions should be further enhanced.