Victoria-Fred Whitehouse

Aging with Agency

Mackenzie McNiven; mmcniven@uvic.ca

Department of Biology, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria

A Vancouver Island resident since 2019, Mackenzie completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Victoria, where her research on dementia sparked a lasting interest in lifestyle-based approaches to healthy aging. She is now pursuing graduate studies in analytical chemistry and biology while continuing to work with the BRain Aging and NeuroCognitive Health (BRANCH) group, led by Dr. Stuart MacDonald. Her ongoing interest in the group’s work centres on how physical activity, social connection, and community programs can support cognitive health throughout older adulthood.

In her presentation, Mackenzie discussed aging with agency: the opportunity for individuals to retain autonomy, make meaningful choices, and shape their own well-being as they age. She highlighted research at the University of Victoria and broader work on social prescribing, exploring how laboratory findings can inform practical community initiatives. Group exercise and music provided examples of activities that may support cognitive health and social connection, while community-based approaches can further help address loneliness and improve support for older adults and their caregivers alike.

Highlights from Mackenzie’s research:

Given limited treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, identifying accessible preventive strategies is a priority. This study examined whether a supervised walking intervention for initially sedentary but otherwise healthy older adults could drive change in cognitive and physiological function over time. Drawing on data from the longitudinal burst study Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds – A Supervised Walking Program for Older Adults (Kowalski, 2014), individual scores on a series of cognitive and physiological markers were assessed over 16-weeks. Clear links were found between physical and cognitive health, with cardiovascular health (as measured with heart rate recovery) found to mediate change across the study.

The findings of this study indicate that cardiovascular focused excise, particularly through outdoor community-based programs, may promote healthier cognitive and physiological aging. Heart rate recovery may also serve as a practical, non-invasive marker of change relevant to cognitive health, allowing individuals to monitor their health on an ongoing basis.

Mackenzie’s takeaway from this study was to engage in new activities regardless of what stage of life you are in. Regarding exercise, begin by recording all daily physical activities (take note of activity type, duration, and level of exertion). Add a new activity (ex. 30 min walk every other day) and continue reporting daily. Increase intensity or duration of the activity (or add something new) as you adapt to the added exercise (as your level of exertion begins to decrease).

Bonus points for getting others involved with you!

Mackenzie also noted that social engagement may have played a role in her research, encouraging everyone to engage with different communities and activities (beyond exercise) pointing out research from other members in her lab:

“Our research has shown that loneliness and perceived emotional support make significant, measurable impacts on the brain for older healthy adults, demonstrating the importance of prioritizing social connections for health and wellbeing just like you would prioritize exercise and good diet!”

Further, recent “findings suggest that how older adults view their future may be particularly important: hopelessness was associated with poorer cognition independently of depression. “
~ Samantha Coleborn, Stacy Voll, Lauren Quall, Graciela Muniz-Terrera, and Stuart MacDonald

Spotlight example of research guided social prescription: Voices in Motion

Website

Stuart W.S. MacDonald, PhD

• • Funded for the past 25 years by both Canadian and international granting agencies
  • Inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
  • Served as the national program evaluator for the Dementia Friendly Canada Project (Alzheimer Society of Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada Dementia Community Investment Grant) and the Age Well at Home Project (Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Ministry of Employment and Social Development Canada)

Area(s) of expertise:

Lifespan health and development, cognitive aging, cognitive neuroscience of aging, dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, brain health, aging in place, frailty, longitudinal data analysis, within-person research design, Dementia-Friendly Communities, plasticity, intraindividual variability

Representative Publications and Presentations

Coleborn, S.G., Berthiaume, F., Voll, S., Cloutier, D., Dujela, C., Sakamoto, M., Sheets, D.J., Smith,A.P., Gawryluk,J.R., & MacDonald, S.W.S. (2026). Dynamic Coupling Association of Care Partner Quality of Life and Cognitive and Depressive Symptoms Experienced by Persons Living with Dementia. Journal of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, 3, 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/jdad3020031

Ohlhauser, L., Kwan, H., Casey, H., MacDonald, S.W.S., & Gawryluk, J.R. (2025). Sex similarities and differences in cognition: A longitudinal study of healthy control participants from the Parkinson Progression Markers Initiative. PLOS ONE 20(11): e0334358. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0334358
Schaeffer, M.J., MacDonald, S.W. and Paterson, T.S. (2024). Premorbid personality traits as predictors for incident predementia syndromes: a multistate model approach. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 1-11.

Stawski, R.S., Cerino, E.S., & MacDonald, S.W.S. (2026). Associations Among Response Time Inconsistency, Attention Switching, and Cognitive Status: A Measurement Burst Approach. Neuropsychology, 40(3), 229–239. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0001067

Tamburri, N., McDowell, C., Berthiaume, F., Dujela, C., Gawryluk, J.R., Cloutier, D.S., Sakamoto, M., Smith, A.P., Sheets, D.J., & MacDonald, S.W.S. (2025). Lightening the Load: The Relationship between Gait and Cognition for Persons Living with Dementia Engaged in a Non-Pharmacological Intervention. Brain Sciences, 15(11), 1214. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15111214

Tamburri, N., McDowell, C., Dujela, C., Sakamoto, M., Cloutier, D.S., Gawryluk, J.R., Smith, A.P., Sheets, D.J., Stawski, R.S., & MacDonald, S.W.S. (2025). Choir Mitigates Distress for Caregivers of Those with Dementia: The Voices in Motion Project. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 40, 1-13. DOI: 10.1177/15333175251395437

Tamburri, N., McDowell, C., & MacDonald, S. W. S. (2022). Parameterizing Practice in a Longitudinal Measurement Burst Design to Dissociate Retest Effects From Developmental Change: Implications for Aging Neuroscience. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 14, 885621. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.885621