Based on the data from 2002 to 2014, a survey on the health effects of the elderly in China was conducted. The mixed logit model and the random effect estimation method are used to analyze the willingness and the reality of the living arrangements of the elderly in rural areas. Research shows that among the many factors that affect whether older people and their children can live together or not, the needs of supporting for the elderly in rural areas are not the main factors. Other factors such as the health status of the elderly and the need for living care present a surprisingly negative relationship: the lower the health index and the higher the life care needs index, the more likely it is that they do not live with their children. In the study of living intention for the elderly, we find that the main factors that affect the willingness of living arrangement is the fulfillment of their supporting needs, such as life care and spiritual comfort. Based on empirical results, this paper argues that the weaker family economic status of rural elderly, the greater likelihood of living with their children. Due to the passive obedience of children under the norm of filial piety and the weak voice of the family in the context of equality of rights, older people can help to alleviate intergenerational conflicts.