Abstract: A survey of the material support, life care support and solace support given to the staybehind elderly in the rural area of a county in Jiangxi Province shows that the staybehind elderly do not receive adequate social support, which threatens their later life. It also reveals that the support for the aged people is still familyoriented while lots of them can not obtain any support from their children or other resources, which results in a miserable condition of their later life. The priority in reducing the pressure of social support for the elderly should be given to establishing a comprehensive social support system for the staybehind elderly in rural areas, in which the government, the community, the social service agency, families and individuals should all be involved so as to guarantee the rights and interests of these people.

Key words:  the staybehind rural elderly, social support system, establishment