Paramedics May Flag Dementia Risk in One in Five Older Adults They Visit

A study led by Gina Agarwal at McMaster University suggests community paramedicine could help flag dementia risk among older adults in everyday settings. Published in BMC Health Services Research, the cross-sectional analysis reviewed 385 participants enrolled in two Canadian programs: Community Paramedicine at Clinic (CP@clinic) and Community Paramedicine at Home (CP@home). Researchers found that about one in five screened individuals showed signs of potential cognitive impairment, described as high and clinically meaningful. Dementia risk was assessed using the Mini-Cog, a brief test combining a three-word recall task and the Clock Drawing Test. A positive result isn’t a diagnosis but indicates who may need physician evaluation. The study also reported demographic and health-burden differences between the two programs.