Everyday Access and Rural Aging in Place: A Mixed-Methods Study of Applied Gerontological Intervention Priorities in...

Background/Objectives: Everyday access to essential services is an important consideration for rural aging in place. This study examined multidomain access barriers and identified applied gerontological intervention priorities in rural South Korea. Methods: A quantitatively driven convergent mixed-methods design combined face-to-face survey data from 200 residents across one township center and eight outlying townships with a focus group involving three community welfare council members. Survey analyses described transportation, healthcare, walkability, digital access, safety, and community-care indicators; tested subgroup differences; and used logistic regression to predict high inconvenience with bus service frequency and routes among adults aged 60 years or older (n = 194). Focus-group data were analyzed thematically, and the quantitative and qualitative strands were integrated through narrative comparison and a joint display. Results: Transfer convenience was lowest (16.6/100), whereas need for increased service frequency and expanded routes was highest (95.3/100). Healthcare access (29.4/100), walkability (40.9/100), digital access difficulty (67.0/100), and night-time walking safety threats (70.5%) indicated additional barriers. Better walking-environment convenience was associated with lower odds of high transportation inconvenience (adjusted odds ratio = 0.541, 95% CI [0.366, 0.800], p = 0.002). Focus-group themes contextualized these patterns through repeated transfers, discontinuous last-mile routes, limited non-digital information channels, and implementation constraints involving insurance, operating support, staffing, and infrastructure. Conclusions: The integrated findings suggest that everyday service usability in rural settings reflects interacting transportation, last-mile, information, and operational conditions. Coordinated mobility, walkability, assisted access, digital inclusion, and implementation support may be relevant to aging-in-place planning, although aging-in-place outcomes were not directly measured.