摘要:受经济发展、城市化进程以及国情的影响，我国空巢老人的数量正在剧烈增加。未来空巢老人的救助问题将成为一个重大的社会问题。空巢老人问题的普通生活现状表现为，健康状况较差、收入水平低、与子女联系少以及生活方式单一四个方面。主要面临的问题，从经济生活困难、保险体系不健全、无法获得生活照料、精神缺乏慰藉等方面呈现。目前我国农村大多数地区普遍实行的仍然是家庭养老制度，这与“空巢”是矛盾的，无法满足空巢老人的养老需求，这就必须引入社会救助的理念来改善空巢老人的生活状态。

　　　空巢老人的社会救助工作应从宏观和微观两个层面去具体展开。宏观层面主要是对政府政策的建议，通过倡导发展农村经济，建立健全养老保险体制，发扬家庭养老传统文化，建立农村社区照顾模式四个方面来救助空巢老人。微观层面，基于社会工作的理论，从社区工作、小组工作两种方法，切实地对空巢老人展开救助，最终使空巢老人老有所养，病有所医，心灵世界得到圆满感受。

关键词:农村空巢老人  社会工作方法  社会救助

ABSTRACT:Due to the development of economy, urbanization of the country, the number of empty-nest old people( older people who live alone)is increasing sharply. It is now becoming an issue of global concern.The main problems the empty-nest old people are confronted with are poor living standard, health,low income and little contact with their descendants.The major problem is that they live a hard life and can't get care in daily life, so they are lack of spiritual support and love.So far the pension system of our country has taken "domestic responsibility"as a major system in rural area which goes contrary to "empty nest" as it can't satisfy the need of old people to live their declining years.Thus it needs a new social belief to solve this problem to improve the life of old people. 

　　The social aid should go in a macro way and a micro way. The macro way deals with suggesting the government taking actions to carry out useful polices to develop economy of rural areas, perfect the pension system,promote the traditional culture of loving the old, establish community service to take care of the old.In the micro way,based on the community work theory，we should combine community work and team work to give aid to the empty-nest old people to make sure they are guaranteed with what the need when they are old and they feel full from the inner heart.

Key word: Empty-nest old people in rural areas; social working theory; social aid