ASU Doctoral Candidate Focuses on Functional Health of the Aging

With current and future increases in the aging population, it is especially important to look at the difficulties that older adults face, as well as what the aging experience is going to be like for the baby boomers, says Leah Rohlfsen, a doctoral candidate specializing in Medical Sociology.

"Aging is going to be an important area for research," she says. "Currently I'm focusing on functional health and the chronic conditions and diseases the aging population lives with." Functional health is determined by testing a person's ability to climb stairs, walk, get up from a chair, push or pull a 10-pound object, stoop, and other abilities that tend to decrease with age.

Leah has discovered ample support and encouragement in her goals from a number of professors in the School of Social and Family Dynamics (SSFD). Some of her research includes:

• With Dr. Jennie Jacobs Kronenfeld, Leah is examining how duration, severity, and type of arthritis, as well as self-perceptions of severity contribute to functional limitations. Preliminary findings indicate that, surprisingly, functional limitations may actually decline as duration of disease increases because those with the disease appear to adapt to living with arthritis.
• A paper written with Dr. Scott Yabiku will examine how various health factors affect the relationship between age and the sense of control. "As adults age, they generally feel less in control of their lives," says Leah. "I am interested in studying what health factors and roles contribute to the declining sense of control over the life course."
• With the assistance of Dr. Cecilia Menjivar, Leah has found through research at a senior citizens center that many older women distance themselves from the negative stereotypes associated with aging by emphasizing their participation in activity and volunteer work. "Although the benefits of staying active and participating in volunteer work are clearly documented," says Leah, "the new emphasis on old age as a time of youthfulness and activity may encourage many older adults to deny aging. I think this research tells us a lot about what the aging experience is going to be like for the baby boomers."
• Other research includes collecting data with Dr. Deborah Sullivan from Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) on the turf battle with physician anesthesiologists over practice rights, possible with a grant from the Women's Studies department at ASU. With Dr. Steven Haas, she is assessing the functional health of different racial and ethnic groups as they age.

Leah received her Bachelors degree, majoring in Sociology and Political Science, from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. After working in a mental health facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she decided to complete her graduate work at ASU because "the Sociology program has an emphasis in health, and I knew it would be a good fit for me. As I pursued my coursework at ASU, I began to focus on the health of older adults specifically."

After receiving her Master's in Passing in Sociology at ASU in 2005, Leah is now beginning work on her Ph.D. dissertation and submitting her research for publication. While at ASU, she has also taught Research Methods and discovered that she enjoys teaching and interacting with students. She has organized a session called "The Aging Experience" at the annual meeting of the Pacific Sociological Association and will also present a poster at the Population Association of America's annual meeting in New York.


Upper photo: Rohlfsen is working on research with other professors in the School of Social and Family Dynamics (SSFD)

Lower photo:Doctoral student Leah Rohlfsen is specializing in Medical Sociology, focusing on functional health and the chronic conditions and diseases of the aging population.