varies widely adding to peoples uncertainty i dont think its as simple as dont go out for all older adults social contact is still really important perissinotto said if youre healthy and over 60 with prudence hand hygiene and being aware of your surroundings you should still be able to go about some activities such as taking a walk or visiting with a neighbor while maintaining a safe distance more tokyo olympics postponed us closes in on relief package leslie kernisan a san francisco geriatrician and the founder of the geriatrics advice website betterhealthwhileagingnet offered several concrete suggestions if youre going to the store consider wearing cloth gloves because viruses dont survive as well on soft surfaces try not to handle your smartphone when youre out of the house a phone is a hard plastic surface that can easily get contaminated she said if youre worried that older parents arent following rigorous enough precautions dont lecture them kernisan advises instead ask how theyre feeling about the coronavirus what do they know about it what plans have they made foster wellbeing asked what was safe for older adults dr paul tatum an associate professor of medicine at the university of texasaustins dell medical school focused on factors that contribute to wellbeing it is safe to exercise and in fact its very important to keep exercising but not at the gym or in large groups he said its safe to get plenty of sleep but avoid sleeping pills if possible its safe to prevent worry and take a break from social media and too much news tatum said its safe to take care of your spiritual needs in this time but doing it at a distance is wise dont hesitate to reach out to your church or synagogue community and say im not able to come in can i schedule a few minutes on the phone with someone its safe to call your neighbor and say i need some help kaiser health news is a nonprofit news service covering health issues it is an editorially independent program of the kaiser family foundation which is not affiliated with kaiser permanente