PHILADELPHIA — Gerry Stride cracks wise about having a senior moment when she forgets a name. But this baby boomer's fear of succumbing to dementia or Alzheimer's disease is no joke.

That's why Stride, 57, is a regular at the new "brain gym" of the Medford Leas retirement campus in Medford, N.J., where she works as director of community life. The exercise room contains eight computers loaded with Posit Science's Brain Fitness Program, one of a growing number of software applications designed to stimulate the mind and possibly stave off mental decline.

"I work on the hospital unit" of the Medford continuing-care facility, Stride said. "I've seen what dementia does. If I can do something, bring it on."

As more baby boomers enter their 60s and others witness their elderly parents descend into senility, say experts, they're chasing after cognitive fitness with the same vigor they've had while pursuing wrinkle-free skin.

By holding out the promise of sharper, longer-lasting brain cells, a plethora of gadgets, classes and computer games has captured the attention of forever-youngs — despite thin scientific proof that any of this will keep their minds humming.

Nintendo's popular Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (1.3 million copies sold, according to the NPD Group) is more about fun than an assessment of mental acuity. But others — such as MindFit from Cognifit Ltd. and Brain Fitness, with object identifications, geometric puzzles and list recitations — have some limited evidence to back claims.

Researchers can barely keep up with the interest shown by boomers. In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alzheimer's Association plan to issue a "road map" to cognitive health. And at the Joint Conference of the American Society on Aging and National Council on the Aging in March, at least 10 sessions highlighted brain fitness and the need to master ever-more-complex tasks.

Boomers are "proactive, health-minded, and want to do things to keep their bodies young and their minds sharp," said Gary Small, director of the Center on Aging at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of "The Memory Bible.

By 2030, the number of Americans with dementia is expected to more than double to 5.2 million, while those 65 and older with Alzheimer's is predicted to grow 50 percent, to 7.7 million.

In April, UCLA hosted a one-day $500 boot camp aimed at affluent boomers after memory techniques, brain-healthy recipes and mind-building exercises. And the handheld Brain Games, which Small created, hit Sharper Image and other stores in January. For $19.99, the electronic device "cross-trains your brain," Small said.