OBJECTIVES: To make an assessment of cognitive abilities of caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and to determine the risk of developing dementia in this population. METHODS: A cross-sectional research design, utilizing a convenience sample and one-on-one interviews, was adopted to address the study objectives. Family caregivers were recruited from New York City caregiver support groups. Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), a pre-validated cognitive scale, was used to assess the risk of dementia among the caregivers and a demographically similar sample of non-caregivers. CASI tests nine cognitive domains, and a score of ≤ 74 on a scale between 1 and 100 indicates possible cognitive impairment. The component scores of CASI were utilized to derive Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE-CE) scores. Both MMSE-CE and individual component scores of CASI were compared for the caregiver and non-caregiver groups. RESULTS: The final data set consisted of 51 caregivers and 62 non-caregivers. Significant differences were observed between the two with respect to CASI score (t= -2.311, p= 0.001), MMSE-CE score (t= -1.943, p= 0.013) and individual domain scores. Prevalence and number of medical conditions seemed to affect caregivers’ cognitive performance more than the non caregivers. Further, age and duration of caregiving were revealed to be significant predictors of dementia risk in the caregiver population based on both binary logistic (OR=10.706, P = 0.027,) and multiple linear regression (β=-0.306, P = 0.028) models. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights regarding the impact of caregiving on Alzheimer’s caregivers, specifically with respect to their cognitive functioning. There is a greater likelihood of family caregivers experiencing cognitive decline, significantly raising their risk of developing dementia sometime in the future. Health interventions should be designed to make caregivers aware of the risks they face if they neglect their own health in the process of caregiving.