Personally, I think the term "epidemic" gets bandied about a bit too loosely these days. But that's not to say that the diseases in question aren't important. Take Alzheimer's, for instance. This is the latest epidemic health authorities are up in arms about. But rather than issuing dire warnings, wouldn't it be a better idea to focus on teaching people how to prevent it from ever reaching the epidemic proportions they're predicting? And the first step in preventing a disease is knowing your own risk.

The problem with Alzheimer's, though, has been that screening is a notoriously difficult, drawn-out process – not necessarily something you'd want to do on a regular basis to keep tabs on your cognitive function. But recently, a group of researchers from Emory University developed a new screening tool that works in a fraction of the time and can detect even very mild cognitive decline. Meaning that you can take action to reverse it before it gets any worse.

This new screening method is a combination of two quick tools called the Mini-Cog test and the Functional Activities Questionnaire (together known as the MC-FAQ), and the researchers found that it has a 74% accuracy rate in uncovering cases of cognitive impairment. Not bad, considering the MC-FAQ is something you can do on your own (with the help of a family member or friend) in roughly 3 minutes or so. Compare that to the hour or more spent in a doctor's office undergoing the traditional testing for cognitive decline, which has only a very slightly higher accuracy rate (80%).

To perform the MC-FAQ, first have a close friend or family member fill out the Functional Activity Questionnaire (FAQ). To download a pdf version of the FAQ (which is filled out by the same close friend or family member who helps you with the Mini-Cog portion of the test), type the following web address into your Internet browser:

www.kphealthysolutions.com/media/pdf/elder-care/functional-activities-assessment-tool.pdf

Once they've finished with the FAQ, you can move on to the Mini-Cog portion of the test. Have your friend or family member tell you three different, unrelated words. Then draw a clock. When you're finished, give the drawing to the person you're with and repeat the three words that they told you previously back to them.

If you can repeat all of the words, you're likely in good shape (given that the ratings on your FAQ are also good). If you get one or two, your status depends on your drawing: If the clock appears normal (numbers in the right spots, etc), you should continue to keep tabs on things, but it's not necessarily a terrible sign (especially if your FAQ results are OK).

However, if you can't recall any of the words and your clock drawing is missing key elements or is skewed in some way, you should consider making an appointment with your doctor for follow up testing – especially if the results of the FAQ indicate problems.