Dr Catherine MacLeod

Research & Development Innovation Officer in Health & Wellbeing (Health Sciences)

Research Fellow (School of Medical and Health Sciences)

c.a.macleod@bangor.ac.uk

+44 1248 388030

0000-0002-9314-7380

Dr Catherine MacLeod

View Dr Catherine MacLeod’s profile on the Bangor Research Portal

Catherine is a researcher with a background in healthy ageing, exploring ways to support people to age well and the biopsychosocial factors influencing health. Catherine uses a variety of methods in her research including both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Her recent work investigated accessing help in later life, and the use and accessibility of health and social care services by people with cognitive impairment and dementia.

Catherine has a particular interest in memory, including understanding fundamental elements of how memory works and fails, the impact of changing memory function on individuals and society, and what can be done to help maintain memory and support those living with memory impairment. Catherine’s work explores these different elements, taking a cell to society approach, working towards a better understanding of memory and developing innovative solutions to protect memory, support people, and reduce the impact of memory loss.

c.a.macleod@bangor.ac.uk

01248 388030

Catherine is a Research Fellow with the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research (CADR), a multi-disciplinary research centre, funded by Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales, which aims to improve the lives of older people through the integration of research, policy and practice. Catherine works on the Rare Dementia Support (RDS) study exploring at how people with dementia experience resilience and designing new ways to measure ‘resilience’ in dementia.

Catherine is also a Research & Development Innovation Officer in Health & Wellbeing with the Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network (CALIN), an advanced life science network connecting business, academia and healthcare with experts from leading universities across Ireland and Wales.

2023

  • E-pub ahead of print'I have never bounced back': resilience and living with dementia
    Windle, G., Roberts, J., MacLeod, C., Algar-Skaife, K., Sullivan, M. P., Brotherhood, E., Jones, C. H. & Stott, J., 5 Apr 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Aging and Mental Health. 13 p.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2022

2021

  • PublishedCognitive impairment negatively impacts allied health service uptake: Investigating the association between health and service use.
    MacLeod, C., Bu, F., Rutherford, A., Phillips, J., Woods, R. & CFAS-Wales research team, Mar 2021, In: SSM - Population Health . 13, 100720.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • PublishedCommon variants in Alzheimer’s disease and risk stratification by polygenic risk scores
    de Rojas, I., Moreno-Grau, S., Tesi, N., Grenier-Boley, B., Andrade, V., Jansen, I. E., Pedersen, N. L., Stringa, N., Zettergren, A., Hernández, I., Montrreal, L., Antúnez, C., Antonell, A., Tankard, R. M., Bis, J. C., Sims, R., Bellenguez, C., Quintela, I., González-Perez, A., Calero, M., Franco-Macías, E., Macías, J., Blesa, R., Cervera-Carles, L., Menéndez-González, M., Frank-García, A., Royo, J. L., Moreno, F., Huerto Vilas, R., Baquero, M., Diez-Fairen, M., Lage, C., García-Madrona, S., García-González, P., Alarcón-Martín, E., Valero, S., Sotolongo-Grau, O., Ullgren, A., Naj, A. C., Lemstra, A. W., Benaque, A., Pérez-Cordón, A., Benussi, A., Rábano, A., Padovani, A., Squassina, A., de Mendonça, A., Arias Pastor, A., Kok, A. A. L., Meggy, A., Pastor, A. B., Espinosa, A., Corma-Gómez, A., Martín Montes, A., Sanabria, Á., DeStefano, A. L., Schneider, A., Haapasalo, A., Kinhult Ståhlbom, A., Tybjærg-Hansen, A., Hartmann, A. M., Spottke, A., Corbatón-Anchuelo, A., Rongve, A., Borroni, B., Arosio, B., Nacmias, B., Nordestgaard, B. G., Kunkle, B. W., Charbonnier, C., Abdelnour, C., Masullo, C., Martínez Rodríguez, C., Muñoz-Fernandez, C., Dufouil, C., Graff, C., Ferreira, C. B., Chillotti, C., Reynolds, C. A., Fenoglio, C., Van Broeckhoven, C., Clark, C., Pisanu, C., Satizabal, C. L., Holmes, C., Buiza-Rueda, D., Aarsland, D., Rujescu, D., Alcolea, D., Galimberti, D., Wallon, D., Seripa, D., Grünblatt, E., Dardiotis, E., Düzel, E., Scarpini, E., Conti, E., Rubino, E., Gelpi, E., Rodriguez-Rodriguez, E., Duron, E., Boerwinkle, E., Ferri, E., Tagliavini, F., Küçükali, F., Pasquier, F., Sanchez-Garcia, F., Mangialasche, F., Jessen, F., Nicolas, G., Selbæk, G., Ortega, G., Chêne, G., Hadjigeorgiou, G., Rossi, G., Spalletta, G., Giaccone, G., Grande, G., Binetti, G., Papenberg, G., Hampel, H., Bailly, H., Zetterberg, H., Soininen, H., Karlsson, I. K., Alvarez, I., Appollonio, I., Giegling, I., Skoog, I., Saltvedt, I., Rainero, I., Rosas Allende, I., Hort, J., Diehl-Schmid, J., Van Dongen, J., Vidal, J-S., Lehtisalo, J., Wiltfang, J., Thomassen, J. Q., Kornhuber, J., Haines, J. L., Vogelgsang, J., Pineda, J. A., Fortea, J., Popp, J., Deckert, J., Buerger, K., Morgan, K., Fließbach, K., Sleegers, K., Molina-Porcel, L., Kilander, L., Weinhold, L., Farrer, L. A., Wang, L-S., Kleineidam, L., Farotti, L., Parnetti, L., Tremolizzo, L., Hausner, L., Benussi, L., Froelich, L., Ikram, M. A., Deniz-Naranjo, M. C., Tsolaki, M., Rosende-Roca, M., Löwenmark, M., Hulsman, M., Spallazzi, M., Pericak-Vance, M. A., Esiri, M., Bernal Sánchez-Arjona, M., Dalmasso, M. C., Martínez-Larrad, M. T., Arcaro, M., Nöthen, M. M., Fernández-Fuertes, M., Dichgans, M., Ingelsson, M., Herrmann, M. J., Scherer, M., Vyhnalek, M., Kosmidis, M. H., Yannakoulia, M., Schmid, M., Ewers, M., Heneka, M. T., Wagner, M., Scamosci, M., Kivipelto, M., Hiltunen, M., Zulaica, M., Alegret, M., Fornage, M., Roberto, N., van Schoor, N. M., Seidu, N. M., Banaj, N., Armstrong, N. J., Scarmeas, N., Scherbaum, N., Goldhardt, O., Hanon, O., Peters, O., Skrobot, O. A., Quenez, O., Lerch, O., Bossù, P., Caffarra, P., Dionigi Rossi, P., Sakka, P., Hoffmann, P., Holmans, P. A., Fischer, P., Riederer, P., Yang, Q., Marshall, R., Kalaria, R. N., Mayeux, R., Vandenberghe, R., Cecchetti, R., Ghidoni, R., Frikke-Schmidt, R., Sorbi, S., Hägg, S., Engelborghs, S., Helisalmi, S., Botne Sando, S., Kern, S., Archetti, S., Boschi, S., Fostinelli, S., Gil, S., Mendoza, S., Mead, S., Ciccone, S., Djurovic, S., Heilmann-Heimbach, S., Riedel-Heller, S., Kuulasmaa, T., del Ser, T., Lebouvier, T., Polak, T., Ngandu, T., Grimmer, T., Bessi, V., Escott-Price, V., Giedraitis, V., Deramecourt, V., Maier, W., Jian, X., Pijnenburg, Y. A. L., Smith, A. D., Saenz, A., Bizzarro, A., Lauria, A., Vacca, A., Solomon, A., Anastasiou, A., Richardson, A., Boland, A., Koivisto, A., Daniele, A., Greco, A., Marianthi, A., McGuinness, B., Fin, B., Ferrari, C., Custodero, C., Ferrarese, C., Ingino, C., Mangone, C., Reyes Toso, C., Martínez, C., Cuesta, C., Muchnik, C., Joachim, C., Ortiz, C., Besse, C., Johansson, C., Zoia, C. P., Laske, C., Anastasiou, C., Palacio, D. L., Politis, D. G., Janowitz, D., Craig, D., Mann, D. M., Neary, D., Jürgen, D., Daian, D., Belezhanska, D., Kohler, E., Castaño, E. M., Koutsouraki, E., Chipi, E., De Roeck, E., Costantini, E., Vardy, E. R. L. C., contributors, EADB., MacLeod, C., Woods, B. & Windle, G., 7 Jun 2021, In: Nature Communications. 12, 1, 3417.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
  • E-pub ahead of print“We’re happy as we are”: the experience of living with possible undiagnosed dementia.
    Henley, J., Hillman, A., Jones, I. R., Woods, B., MacLeod, C., Pentecost, C. & Clare, L., 16 Nov 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Ageing and Society. 26 p.
    Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2011

2022

2019

  • Why don’t older adults seek assistance?

    Talk given to the Anglesey Older People's Council. Presentation included research findings on seeking assistance in later life, and service use and dementia.

    28 Jun 2019

    Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)
  • Social Exclusion and Use of Care Services in Wales.

    Talk given to the Gwynedd Older People's Forum. Presentation included research findings on social exclusion in later life, seeking assistance in later life, and service use and dementia.

    31 May 2019

    Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)
  • The Impact of Dementia and Cognitive Impairment on Health and Care Service Use in Later Life.

    Abstract: Objectives: There is widespread concern about the potential impact on services of the ageing population and long-term health conditions, such as dementia and other cognitive impairments. To effectively plan services, it is important to understand current need and use of services, and identify gaps in provision. We investigated the relationship between health and care service use and cognitive impairment in later life. Methods: Using data from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study Wales (CFAS Wales), we modelled the relationship between the use of a variety of health and care services, and cognition. CFAS Wales is a longitudinal cohort study of people aged 65 years and over, who were randomly drawn from primary care lists in two areas in Wales, over-sampling those aged 75 years and over. Participants (n=3593) answered a wide range of health and lifestyle questions, and completed a variety of assessments including tests of cognitive function. Data from over 3000 people from wave 1 were analysed, including over 700 people with dementia or other cognitive impairments (defined as MMSE <26). Results: We anticipated that people with dementia or other cognitive impairments might be greater users of health and care services, as was the case for some, such as use of day centres. However, compared to people of the same age, we found lower reported uptake of vision checks and seeing a dentist. People with dementia or other cognitive impairments were around 30% less likely to report seeing a dentist in the year preceding interview than the rest of the sample, controlling for a number of demographic, environmental, and activities of daily living variables. In contrast, we did not find a difference in reported uptake of hearing checks. Conclusions: Striking differences in the uptake of services such as vision and dental checks suggest that there are needs of people with dementia and other cognitive impairments not being met; this may exacerbate existing conditions and have further downstream negative consequences for health and well-being.

    25 May 2019

    Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)
  • Social Exclusion and Use of Care Services in Wales

    The talk presented an overview of our recent research on social exlcusion in later life, why people don't use services, and our ongoing work looking at experiences of people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

    15 Jan 2019

    Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)

2018

  • Shaping research to support older people in Wales.

    A joint Ageing Well in Wales and Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research event in which I presented our recent research findings on factors affecting the choice of older people to use services were presented. A workshop followed which included discussions around how people identify services; what encourages people to use services; what act as barriers stopping people from using services; and how can we design more effective services for older people? Approximately 50 people attended the event from a variety of organisations including local councils, the health board, a range of charities, small businesses, and members of the public. This event provided a platform for people to network with others involved in providing services for older adults, to share knowledge and best practice, to learn about current research findings and talk about how research can inform practice and what work needs to be undertaken.

    23 Jan 2018

    Activity: Participation in workshop, seminar, course (Speaker)

2017

  • Seeking assistance in later life: How do older people evaluate their need for assistance?

    Presented to the North Wales Ageing Well in Wales network on “Seeking assistance in later life: How do older people evaluate their need for assistance?” Approximately 15 people attended the meeting with representatives from the local councils, Age Cymru, Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan, contact the elderly, the national ageing well programme, and other organisations.

    12 Oct 2017

    Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)
  • Measuring Social Exclusion in Older Age: Developing a working framework for hypothesis testing.

    Abstract: Social exclusion is widely acknowledged to be a dynamic, multidimensional process; however, each dimension has the potential to be a determinant, indicator, or outcome of social exclusion, making it difficult to disentangle the pathways through which social exclusion exists. We constructed a working framework of individual social exclusion from which to directly examine some of these relationships. To enable hypothesis testing it is important to separate out determinants from indicators of exclusion and to this end we conceptualised social exclusion as reflecting the three domains of service provision and access; social relations and resources; and civic participation. Rooted in this new working framework we constructed later life social exclusion measures for use with Understanding Society - the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study. This new working framework and developed social exclusion measures provide a platform from which to explore the complex relationships between domains of social exclusion.

    23 Jul 2017

    Links:

    Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)
  • Using Technology in Later Life: Qualitative Insights into Actual and Perceived Barriers.

    Abstract: Poor health is known to predict social exclusion in later life, however this relationship is moderated by internet and technology use. People’s approach to technology varies and older adults are known to engage less with technology and its associated applications than younger age groups. We conducted qualitative interviews with 40 participants aged 65 years and over, asking people about their access to services and use of technology. Focusing on information and communication technology (ICT), we found varying levels of engagement amongst this group and identified four categories of user: proficient, basic/learner, proxy and avoider. We explored people’s experiences of ICT and revealed a number of actual and perceived barriers, including hardware, software and social factors that inhibit people from fully engaging with technology. Technology use has the potential to protect older adults in poor health from exclusion, but first people need to overcome barriers preventing them from engaging with technology.

    23 Jul 2017

    Links:

    Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)
  • Seeking assistance in later life: A qualitative investigation of service non-use.

    Abstract: Existing health behaviour models inadequately explain individuals’ behaviour prior to or in the absence of contact with services yet understanding why older people do not seek assistance is crucial to the development of policies and services that enable local government to meet their obligations to provide preventative care packages. In this presentation, we report findings of a qualitative study in which we explored older adults’ explanations of why they do not seek or receive assistance from services or other sources. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 adults aged >65 in North Wales and Northwest England. We asked participants about their experiences and views of needing assistance in later life, and if, how, why and when they acted upon the needs that they identified. We identified a recursive process whereby participants assessed their need for assistance on an issue-by-issue basis. Participants described responding to emerging needs with avoidant behaviours, modified expectations and their own solutions, only pursuing assistance when these strategies were no longer possible, and crucially, when they were prepared to admit that they needed assistance. The fragility of such strategies sometimes led to emergency interventions. Our findings demonstrate how older adults’ responses to emerging needs might deter them from taking-up assistance, putting them at risk for emergency intervention and presenting a serious challenge for local authorities’ planning and development of appropriate policies and services.

    6 Jul 2017

    Links:

    Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)

2015

  • Determinants of Social Participation in Later Life.

    Abstract:

    Background: Current models of health and well-being emphasise the importance of communities, with the role of social connectedness, service access and community participation in healthy ageing increasingly acknowledged. Whilst the importance of social participation is now widely recognised, our understanding of who participates and why, especially in later life, is more limited.

    Methods: Social participation was conceptualised within three domains: service provision and access, social relations and resources, and civic participation. Data for participants aged 65 years and over from waves 1-3 of Understanding Society – the UK Household Longitudinal Study are analysed, considering key socio-demographic characteristics, including age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic position, country of residence and health.

    Results: Stark differences in social participation were found by many of the socio-demographic characteristics. Multivariate models consider which of the potentially modifiable determinants independently predict greater social participation.

    Conclusions: Greater understanding of the determinants of social participation provides insight into potential opportunities to minimise social exclusion, and consequently improve health and well-being.

    24 Apr 2015

    Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker)

2014

  • Conceptualizing Social Participation in Later Life: Reflections on Secondary Data Analysis.

    Abstract: Current models of health and well-being emphasise the importance of communities, with the role of social connectedness, service access and community participation in healthy ageing increasingly acknowledged. Whilst the importance of social participation is now widely recognised, our understanding of who participates, how and why, especially in later life, is more limited. Two key challenges to understanding social participation are its conceptualisation and its measurement. We do not consider social participation to be a binary construct, but instead conceptualise it as multidimensional, with people participating in some domains and not others. As needs change with age how we conceptualise participation will also change, modifying how we operationalize it across the life course. This presentation will discuss the conceptualisation of social participation in later life, and how it has been operationalized in order to understand the determinants and consequences of social participation in waves 1-3 of Understanding Society – the UK Household Longitudinal Study. We take the view that it is important to exclude precursors or outcomes, such as income and health, in our definition of social participation if we are to advance understanding of the drivers and consequences of a lack of social participation for older adults. The presentation will conclude with some reflections on the challenges and opportunities of secondary data analysis.

    21 Nov 2014

    Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)