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Publications (10 of 14) Show all publications
Stjernborg, V. & Bamzar, R. (2020). Does context matter?: Older adults’ safety perceptions of neighborhood environments in Sweden. In: Crime and fear in public places: Towards safe, inclusive and sustanabile cities (pp. 250-264). Taylor & Francis
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Does context matter?: Older adults’ safety perceptions of neighborhood environments in Sweden
2020 (English)In: Crime and fear in public places: Towards safe, inclusive and sustanabile cities, Taylor & Francis , 2020, p. 250-264Chapter in book (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

This chapter draws on two case studies on safety perceptions among older adults living in different cities in Sweden: Stockholm and Malmö. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the study. Results show that older adults express signs of behavioral responses as a result of fear of crime and/or poor safety perceptions regardless of study areas and city contexts, such as distance decay strategy, and time avoidance. Findings also call for a more comprehensive discussion about the role that context (in this case, social and geographical) plays for everyday mobility and perceived safety in later life.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2020
National Category
Sociology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37295 (URN)9780429352775 (ISBN)
Available from: 2021-10-28 Created: 2021-10-28 Last updated: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Bamzar, R. (2019). Assessing the quality of the indoor environment of senior housing for a better mobility: a Swedish case study. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 34(1), 23-60
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Assessing the quality of the indoor environment of senior housing for a better mobility: a Swedish case study
2019 (English)In: Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, ISSN 1566-4910, E-ISSN 1573-7772, Vol. 34, no 1, p. 23-60Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The aims of this article are to assess the quality of the indoor living environment of a senior housing (rental apartments for older adults aged 65+) in Hasselgarden, Stockholm Municipality (Sweden's capital), in 2014, in relation to their mobility, and to suggest improvement strategies. First, the physical indoor environment of older adults is examined via a fieldwork checklist devised in accordance with the principles of universal design (UD). Second, their indoor environment is assessed through a survey that includes subjective questions about seniors' use of space, experience of falls, and safety perception. Third, the study explores whether the applications of UD in the seniors' indoor living environment contribute to the understanding of their use of space, experience of falls, and safety perception. Fieldwork inspections and a detailed survey with residents are used as a basis for the empirical analysis. Overall, 27 out of 56 questionnaires were collected, and ten apartments have been visited in the fieldwork. Findings indicate that the living room has the highest UD score compared with those for the kitchen and the bedroom. The older adults spend most of their time in the living room and the kitchen. A low UD score (e.g. kitchen and bedroom) is associated with a higher number of falls but not with low levels of safety perception and use of space. The article concludes with suggestions to improve housing safety of Hasselgarden's senior housing, which may also help prevent falls in the older population elsewhere.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2019
Keywords
Housing adaptation, Older adults, Safety perception, Falls, Use of space
National Category
Civil Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37287 (URN)10.1007/s10901-018-9623-4 (DOI)000459945600002 ()2-s2.0-85052110529 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2019-03-26 Created: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Bamzar, R. (2017). Broken bones and sharp corners. In: : . Paper presented at Living longer and healthier in an ageing world, Stockholm-Tokyo workshop, September 2017.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Broken bones and sharp corners
2017 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Other academic)
National Category
Sociology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37301 (URN)
Conference
Living longer and healthier in an ageing world, Stockholm-Tokyo workshop, September 2017
Available from: 2021-10-28 Created: 2021-10-28 Last updated: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Bamzar, R. (2017). Ensuring elderly mobility: environmental and safety issues. (Doctoral dissertation). Stockholm: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Ensuring elderly mobility: environmental and safety issues
2017 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of the issues of safe mobility ‎for the elderly population in Sweden. ‎This is achieved first by assessing the geography and patterns of ‎elderly falls at the county level and then by conducting a detailed survey with residents in senior ‎housing to investigate the relationship between indoor and/or outdoor environmental ‎characteristics and elderly safety. Safety is regarded as a multidimensional concept that ‎involves risk of falls, crime victimization and elderly people’s perception of their ‎overall safety. Using a case study approach, the study also assesses the types of outdoor places where most crimes ‎against the elderly take place and the types of places most feared by them. The study ‎adapts a set of qualitative and quantitative methods ‎to capture the nature of the phenomena; trends, patterns and frameworks that support ‎the analysis and implications of the results for both research and practice. The findings show ‎that elderly falls in Sweden vary geographically and exhibit gender, age, environmental, and socio-‎economic differences. The mobility of the older population is influenced by their ‎perceived safety in indoor and outdoor environments. Certain features of apartment layout and furniture arrangement are identified as potential causes of falls. Older adults’ ‎perception of safety exhibits a distance-decay effect from their senior housing building. Distance decay indicates that safety is deemed highest closest to their homes and decreases as the distance increases. There are indications that older adults take longer routes and increase their mobility because they are fearful at certain spots in their neighbourhood. The thesis ‎concludes with a discussion of the results and implications for both research and policy making at the local and ‎county levels. ‎

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 2017. p. 40
Keywords
Elderly, safe mobility, environment
National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Research subject
Planning and Decision Analysis
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37289 (URN)978-91-7729-394-1 (ISBN)978-91-7729-459-7 (ISBN)
Public defence
2017-06-13, F3, Lindstedtsvägen 26, Sing-Sing, 14:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Note

QC 20170602

My doctoral project was funded byLars Erik LundbergScholarship Foundation.

Available from: 2021-10-28 Created: 2021-10-28 Last updated: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Bamzar, R. (2016). Assessing the quality of the indoor environment of senior housing for abetter mobility: a Swedish case study. In: : . Paper presented at Workshop for the elderly, Hässelgården senior housing, in collaboration with Micasa fastigheter, Stockhom, Sweden, May 2016.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Assessing the quality of the indoor environment of senior housing for abetter mobility: a Swedish case study
2016 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Other academic)
National Category
Sociology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37300 (URN)
Conference
Workshop for the elderly, Hässelgården senior housing, in collaboration with Micasa fastigheter, Stockhom, Sweden, May 2016
Available from: 2021-10-28 Created: 2021-10-28 Last updated: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Bamzar, R. & Ceccato, V. (2016). The regional ecology of elderly falls in Sweden. GeoJournal, 81(1), 23-36
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The regional ecology of elderly falls in Sweden
2016 (English)In: GeoJournal, ISSN 0343-2521, E-ISSN 1572-9893, Vol. 81, no 1, p. 23-36Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The study assesses exploratory the geography of the elderly fall in Sweden in relation to the ecology of the socio-demographic characteristics of the Swedes older population. Kendall Test is used to measure the association between elderly fall rates and demographic, socio-economic characteristics of the population, costs of elderly care and accessibility measures at county level. Results show a number of significant associations: high rates of the elderly fall are associated with high cost of the elderly care but also low rate of elderly fall and good accessibility to basic services (e.g., grocery store, health care and cash machines). The articles finalizes with reflections of the results and suggestions for future research.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2016
Keywords
Ecology of fall, Elderly fall, Geography of fall, Socio demographic variations, Population statistics, Transportation, Accessibility measures, Demographic variations, Elderly falls, Grocery stores, Older population, Socio-demographic characteristics, Socio-economics, Ecology
National Category
Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37291 (URN)10.1007/s10708-014-9594-2 (DOI)000382785800003 ()2-s2.0-84957552929 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2016-06-10 Created: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Ceccato, V. A. & Bamzar, R. (2015). Elderly Victimization and Fear of Crime in Public Spaces. International Criminal Justice Review, 26(2), 115-133
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Elderly Victimization and Fear of Crime in Public Spaces
2015 (English)In: International Criminal Justice Review, ISSN 1057-5677, E-ISSN 1556-3855, Vol. 26, no 2, p. 115-133Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Drawing upon environmental criminology principles and fear of crime literature, this article investigates the types of outdoor places where most crimes against the elderly happen as well as the types of places most feared by them. The study employs an analysis of secondary data, crime mapping, fieldwork, and interviews with residents in a senior housing area in Stockholm, Sweden. Results show that most crime victims were exposed to theft, and all incidents took place in the environment close to the senior housing. Elderly perceived safety follows a “distance decay” from the residence, the safest places being the areas immediately outside the entrance of the senior housing, while the least safe are the deserted areas close to the petrol station. Findings also show that for those who are fairly mobile, the fact that they avoid some places does not necessarily mean their mobility is restricted, as previously expected, but it makes them walk farther. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2015
Keywords
elderly mobility, outdoor environment, perceived safety, victimization
National Category
Other Social Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37292 (URN)10.1177/1057567716639096 (DOI)000408107500004 ()2-s2.0-84968883527 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2016-11-15 Created: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Ceccato, V. & Bamzar, R. (2015). Elderly victimization and fear of crime in public spaces. In: : . Paper presented at Crime and fear in public spaces, Stockholm, Sweden, 17-18 October 2018.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Elderly victimization and fear of crime in public spaces
2015 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Other academic)
National Category
Sociology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37296 (URN)
Conference
Crime and fear in public spaces, Stockholm, Sweden, 17-18 October 2018
Available from: 2021-10-28 Created: 2021-10-28 Last updated: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Ceccato, V. & Bamzar, R. (2015). Elderly victimization and fear of crime in public spaces. In: : . Paper presented at The Stockholm Criminology Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden, June 2015.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Elderly victimization and fear of crime in public spaces
2015 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Other academic)
National Category
Sociology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37297 (URN)
Conference
The Stockholm Criminology Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden, June 2015
Available from: 2021-10-28 Created: 2021-10-28 Last updated: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Bamzar, R. (2015). Ensuring elderly mobility; environmental and safety issues, a Swedish case study. In: : . Paper presented at Licentiateseminarium, presented at KTH, July 2015..
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Ensuring elderly mobility; environmental and safety issues, a Swedish case study
2015 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Other academic)
National Category
Sociology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-37299 (URN)
Conference
Licentiateseminarium, presented at KTH, July 2015.
Available from: 2021-10-28 Created: 2021-10-28 Last updated: 2021-10-28Bibliographically approved
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0001-8402-842x

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