Trinidad and Tobago

No specific national guideline detailing cognitive testing protocols or thresholds was identified in the sources reviewed. The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Dementia Observatory profile similarly notes the absence of approved national dementia care or support standards, suggesting that cognitive assessment practices are clinician-led rather than guided by nationally standardised protocols.

Computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are offered in both public hospitals and private imaging centres. In the public sector, imaging access is organised through hospital services under the RHAs, while private diagnostic centres provide an alternative route for faster access when affordable.

There is no evidence that genetic testing for Alzheimer’s disease is routinely used in clinical practice in Trinidad and Tobago.

There is no public evidence of routine clinical availability of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or blood biomarker testing for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in the country.

Trinidad and Tobago does not publicly outline a national network of day care centres, long-term treatment facilities, or a tiered dementia care model. While the Ministry of Health lists “memory clinics” within mental health therapeutic services, publicly available information does not clearly distinguish or map dedicated dementia day programs, residential care pathways, or specialised treatment facilities across the RHAs.

Community-based support for daily care and long-term management is therefore shaped largely by civil society. Alzheimer’s Association of Trinidad and Tobago (AzATT) and Dementia Awareness Research of Trinidad and Tobago (DARTT) provide carer support groups, education, and outreach that help families manage day-to-day care, behavioural challenges, and emotional strain, partially compensating for the limited visibility of formal dementia-specific day care or treatment centres. Palliative care services exist within hospital and hospice settings, but dementia-specific palliative pathways are not clearly articulated in public policy, and end-of-life care for people living with advanced dementia is typically absorbed into general palliative or family-led care.

Public health services in Trinidad and Tobago are funded without direct user charges at the point of use, but private services are widely used to obtain faster access to consultations and diagnostics. As a result, the long-run cost of dementia care is often driven not by formal fees in the public sector, but by private consultations and imaging, paid caregiving, transport, and the indirect costs of household time and supervision. For families who face delays in public routes, or who choose private providers for speed and continuity, out-of-pocket spending can accumulate over time despite the country’s publicly funded system.

Carer support represents a relative strength of Trinidad and Tobago’s dementia ecosystem. AzATT runs multiple regular support groups in Port of Spain, Arima, San Fernando, and Tobago, complemented by year-round education and outreach through seminars, public talks, and radio/television engagement. These initiatives provide peer support, practical carer guidance, and psychosocial relief, helping families sustain care at home and navigate services.

At the policy level, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Dementia Observatory (GDO) confirms the existence of carer support services but indicates the absence of financial benefits or social-protection measures specifically targeted to care partners of people living with dementia. This highlights a gap between the availability of psychosocial and educational support and the lack of formal economic relief for families managing long-term cognitive impairment, leaving caregiving costs largely absorbed at the household level.

Since late 2023 and throughout 2025, the government has engaged with key stakeholders, including members of the AzATT and researchers from the University of the West Indies (UWI), to form a committee tasked with producing the National Dementia Plan. As in many small island health systems, progress appears to be incremental and closely linked to civil society advocacy and international technical support. Whether upcoming strategies translate into measurable improvements, such as standardised care pathways, workforce training, or integrated health social care models, will depend on political prioritisation, resource allocation, and the extent to which dementia is embedded across ministries rather than confined to mental-health portfolios alone.

Research initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago, led by The University of the West Indies, prioritise translating dementia data into actionable policy evidence to address the nation’s systemic care and economic challenges. In the absence of large-scale clinical trials or registries, these initiatives function as a pragmatic evidence base to guide awareness-raising, national dementia planning, and incremental system reform.