The increased levels of social distancing and warnings to minimise contact with elderly parents and relatives will drive social isolation, which takes a large toll on mental health.

"They are inherently socially isolated anyway ... and we know that social isolation is a risk for poor mental health outcomes and poor physical health outcomes," he said.

"While social distancing has to happen, it doesn't mean social isolation."

Dr Yates said many people underestimated the ability of older people to engage with technology - one of the key tools for keeping connected during the coronavirus crisis.

"I don't think that it should be assumed that older people can't engage with technology - they can. Australian data shows about two third of older people have some sort of smart phone so WhatsApp or Facetime or those various platforms make it easy to stay connected.

"There's a lot to be gained from actually seeing people as you talk."

Dr Yates said social distancing did not mean you could not go to visit an elderly parent or relative living in their own home - and while there you can help setup and explain the technology to them if they are struggling.

"It doesn't mean you can't get in to the house to see mum ... you just can't have a gathering and obviously you don't go if there are any symptoms.

"Just make sure you wash your hands before you go in to the house, and after you leave."

Technology will also be key to keeping the elderly as healthy as possible during the pandemic, with Dr Yates warning the elderly against going to unnecessary doctor's appointments.

The federal government has rushed through new Medicare subsidies for telehealth consultations which should be used where possible. Some doctors will bulk bill while others will require a co-payment, the same as if you were physically seeing the doctor.

"There's an increase in the use of telehealth and we are moving most of our clinic to a telehealth clinic to do reviews - we are just not doing new patients," he said. "But older people might need some help to get the telehealth stuff right."

For those whose elderly family and friends are in residential aged care, Dr Yates said homes were well-versed in infection control measures and unless the virus was suspected of already being in the home social distancing was all that was needed.

"So long as there are no suspected carriers they they don't have to socially isolate within the home ... just maintain social distancing and good droplet control hygiene."

But he warned the reality was that inevitable that COVID-19 would get in to some aged care homes as staff and people move in and out of the facility with the virus' ability to live for days on metals and plastic, 24 hours on cardboard and newspaper and an unknown time on clothing.

"It's going to happen somewhere and when it does that's going to be challenging for us.

"As a geriatrician I'm very concerned. However we look at this we are not going to get vaccine within 12 months, and by 12 months this virus will have run through most of our elderly folk and that will result in very sadly quite significant loss of life.

"In the end we have to acknowledge that saying to the community as a whole you have to stay home is not a benign choice or instruction - it has negative consequences which are very real for the elderly.

"But we have an opportunity in Australia that we haven't had with other countries that we can see our turn coming, we can try to prepare and I think there are always things we could do better and we will find those out at the end of this."

Dr Yates, who is also a former Australian Medical Association Victoria president and director of clinical studies at Deakin University's Ballarat Clinical School, said there could be roles for medical students in helping the health system deal with the pandemic.

"They want to be involved. We can't teach them at the moment because they are not able to access the hospital so they are doing a lot of other learning online but they are very keen to provide support," he said.

The city's nursing and other allied health students could also be used.

"It won't necessarily be the Italian model where they changed the law so fifth year medical students could act as interns - that was desperation stuff over there.

"But I think there's opportunity fo rhealth students to mobilise and it will be good learning for them. We just need to make sure we properly protect them and those they are in contact with."