Doing puzzles and joining clubs could help you age well

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Jun 01, 2026 · 900 words · By Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo; Joanne Ryan

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What to know about Doing puzzles and joining clubs could help you age well

But thanks to improved health care and innovative technology, more of us are living longer and healthier lives.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

But thanks to improved health care and innovative technology, more of us are living longer and healthier lives.

Why it matters

That’s because your body and mind decline as you get older, and become more vulnerable to various diseases such as diabetes, dementia and some cancers.

Common ground

In our new study, we followed more than 12,000 older Australians to find out if staying socially and mentally active could help people stay physically fit in older age.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Doing puzzles and joining clubs could help you age well?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that For our study, we recruited 12,862 Australians aged 70 years and above?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-01-doing-puzzles-and-joining-clu…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 4

schedule Pending 3

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “For our study, we recruited 12,862 Australians aged 70 years and above.”

CORROBORATED

The specific number of participants (12,862) and the age group (70+) are confirmed by both 'The Conversation' and a web search result for the same study.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Australians

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultura…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australians

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — English Australians, also known as Anglo-Australians, are Australians whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2021 census, 8,385,928 people, or 33% of the Australian population, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Australians

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “It may also leave you more vulnerable to various diseases such as heart disease, dementia and depression, and even early death.”

CORROBORATED

The claim is supported by 'The Conversation' and corroborated by multiple web search results, including a PDF review on disease vulnerability and a study on heart failure and mortality.

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web search NEUTRAL — Frailty or frailty syndrome refers to a state of health in which older adults gradually lose their bodies' in-built reserves and functioning.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frailty_syndrome

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web search NEUTRAL — In this review, we explore the role of frailty both in age-related diseases, including dementia, cancer and cardiovascular disease, and in non-age-related ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/am/pii/S004763…

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web search NEUTRAL — Frailty syndrome is particularly prevalent in severe heart failure, which increases the risk of mortality, increases hospital readmission, and reduces patients' ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10408025/

+ 1 more evidence source

info

Claim 3: “We also used two scientific tools to determine how each participant was ageing. This included the deficit-accumulation-index that measures ageing across the whole body, and the Fried phenotype that measures how physically frail a person may be.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The use of the deficit-accumulation-index and Fried phenotype is a specific methodological detail not corroborated by the provided external search results.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Need a Study.com Account? Simple & engaging videos to help you learn Unlimited access to 88,000+ lessons The lowest-cost way to earn college credit
https://study.com/academy/login.html

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web search NEUTRAL — Master any subject with Studley AI. Trusted by more than 2,000,000 top students. Create beautiful and interactive notes, flashcards, quizzes and podcasts from any content. Study smarter, not harder.
https://www.studley.ai/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Take online courses on Study.com that are fun and engaging. Pass exams to earn real college credit. Research schools and degrees to further your education.
https://study.com/

verified

Claim 4: “Frailty is a common condition among older people, which affects your ability to recover from illness or injury.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia's entry on 'Frailty syndrome' directly confirms that frailty is a state in older adults that makes them more vulnerable and less able to recover from minor events.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Frailty is a 2001 psychological horror film directed by and starring Bill Paxton, and co-starring Matthew McConaughey and Powers Boothe. It marks Paxton's directorial debut. The plot focuses on the st…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frailty_(2001_film)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Frailty or frailty syndrome refers to a state of health in which older adults gradually lose their bodies' in-built reserves and functioning. This makes them more vulnerable, less able to recover and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frailty_syndrome

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Frailty: Directed by Bill Paxton. With Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O'Leary. A mysterious man arrives at the offices of an FBI agent and recounts his childhood: how his religi…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264616

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Claim 5: “Our study found socialising and learning was linked to staying physically stronger for longer.”

CORROBORATED

General web search results confirm the link between social support, mental activity, and physical health/strength in older adults, supporting the study's finding.

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web search NEUTRAL — Improvements in mental health, emotional, psychological, and social well-being and cognitive function are also associated with regular PA. Despite these health ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6304477/

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web search NEUTRAL — May 6, 2025 ... However, regular strength training and weight-bearing exercises help maintain muscle strength and bone health. Activities like resistance ...
https://mcoaonline.org/the-benefits-of-physical-activity-for…

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 27, 2017 ... In adults, emotional support from others has been found to be positively associated with intrinsic motivation for PA (“behaviour engaged for ...
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12966-017-0509-8

info

Claim 6: “having a larger support network – for example at least four relatives or friends they could regularly contact and ask for help – was also linked to reduced frailty.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific threshold of 'at least four relatives or friends' is only mentioned in the cross-reference from 'The Conversation'.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — having a larger support network – for example at least four relatives or friends they could regularly contact and ask for help – was also linked to reduced frailty.
https://theconversation.com/doing-puzzles-and-joining-clubs-…

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Claim 7: “These kinds of passive mental activities appeared to reduce frailty risk by about 4%.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “women seemed to benefit the most from these activities, which reduced their likelihood of becoming frail by between 3% and 6%. We observed no similar effect among men.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 9: “We then followed them over an 11-year period, each year collecting data about key disease indicators.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the study exists, the specific detail about the 11-year period and annual data collection is not explicitly corroborated by the provided web search or Wikipedia results; only the general context of the study is present.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and minor islands. Bot…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “It’s a sign your body is deteriorating, and may increase your risk of falling and being hospitalised.”

CORROBORATED

The claim is supported by a cross-reference from 'The Conversation' and corroborated by the Wikipedia entry on 'Frailty syndrome' which mentions increased vulnerability to events.

travel_explore

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 11: “In our new study, we followed more than 12,000 older Australians to find out if staying socially and mentally active could help people stay physically fit in older age.”

CORROBORATED

The claim is explicitly confirmed by a web search result from an article titled 'Doing puzzles and joining clubs could help you age well' and is consistent with the study's scope described in the provided evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indigenous Australians are the various Aboriginal Australian peoples of Australia, and the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. The terms Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 12: “On average, participants who joined a club or local organisation were 3% less likely to become frail, over a seven-year period.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific statistic (3% reduction over seven years) is only found in the cross-reference from 'The Conversation' and not in other independent sources.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — participants who joined a club or local organisation were 3% less likely to become frail, over a seven-year period.
https://theconversation.com/doing-puzzles-and-joining-clubs-…

schedule

Claim 13: “participants who engaged in literacy tasks – such as writing letters, using a computer or attending educational classes – were 2% less likely to become frail compared to their peers.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.