Terrence Bredin

Terrence Bredin, 78, tested his virtual bowling skills using a Nintendo Wii as he aims at a screen. It was part of an event presented by Home Instead Senior Care, a provider of non-medical services for seniors, at the Briton House Retirement Home in Toronto last month. Home Instead was demonstrating how seniors can help stave off such illnesses as Alzheimer's and dementia by keeping the mind sharp with video games.

According to a U.S. survey published last year, of the estimated 150-million consumers who play non-violent puzzle, word and simple action games on the computer regularly, almost half of them are age 50 or older. The survey was conducted by PopCap Games. Among players of casual games who are aged 50 or older, 74 per cent cited cognitive workouts (mental exercise), 86 per cent noted stress relief, and 62 per cent chose memory strengthening as benefits they'd experienced from playing such games.