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Background:  Memory complaints are frequent in older adults and are associated with higher risk of cognitive decline., Objective:  To investigate the functional outcome of individuals with memory complaints followed up at primary care centers., Methods:  Data were collected between 2016 e 2020 in primary health care centers in Brazil. Patients underwent the Brief Cognitive Screening Battery, and the Functional Activities Questionnaire., Results:  The initial sample (2016) comprised 91 individuals classified into those with subjective cognitive decline (SCD, n  = 15), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n  = 45), or dementia ( n  = 31). During follow-up, 8 individuals (8.8% of the initial sample) died and 26 (28.5% of the initial sample) were not found. Fifty-seven participants underwent clinical reassessment. Of 15 individuals with SCD, 7 were not found (46.7%), 4 (26.7%) progressed to MCI, and 4 (26.7%) remained stable. Of 45 individuals with MCI, 11 were not found (24.4%), 2 (4.4%) died, 6 (13.4%) progressed to dementia, 12 (26.7%) regressed to SCD, and 14 (31.1%) remained stable. Of 31 individuals with dementia, 8 were not found (25.8%), 6 (19.4%) died, 2 (6.5%) regressed to SCD, 7 (22.6%) regressed to MCI, and 8 remained stable (25.8%). Clinical improvement was due to the treatment of reversible causes, such as B12 hypovitaminosis and mood disorders. Older age, lower Mini-Mental State Examination, and higher scores of memory complaint, but not the use of benzodiazepines and of proton pump inhibitors, were predictors of functional status., Conclusion:  Despite their limits (short sample size, missing data), these results support the idea that adequate screening, follow-up, and treatment of reversible causes of dementia in primary care are essential., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)