August 3, 2026
A recent article co-authored by IMPACT Design and Statistics Core member Joan K. Monin and postdoc Yifan Lou, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, suggests that dementia screening may have mental health benefits for both older adults and their family members.
The study examined how dementia screening affects older adults and their family members over time and whether those effects occur independently or through interconnected pathways.
Researchers found that older adults who participated in dementia screening reported fewer depressive symptoms six months later compared with those in a control group. The improvement was observed among participants who received both negative screening results and positive screening results.
The study also found evidence that these benefits extended beyond the individual being screened. Improvements in older adults’ depressive symptoms were associated with reduced depressive symptoms among family members 12 months later, suggesting that the effects of screening may ripple through family relationships.
Access the full article here.