I don't know about what takes place in other regions of the nation, but here in the Mid-Atlantic Region must of the nursing homes, assisted living centers and retirement communities have "Resident's Councils." They usually meet one a month and make recommendations to management about what they like and don't like. If they don't like what you're doing you're history.

The other thing that takes place is an annual meeting of ADs, which is usually a regional thing. One of the topics that frequently comes up pertains to the entertainment skills of those of us who work the NH circuit. They exchange information about entertainers, which frequently leads to jobs at new locations.

From my point of view, I am entertaining the residents/patients first and foremost. They're paying the bills. If an AD or someone from the attending staff want to hear a particular song, I'll usually play it, but only if the song is appropriate for the residents too. In almost all instances, the song requested is something everyone will enjoy. If not, I usually tell the person requesting the song that I would love to play the song, but I can't remember all the chords or lyrics.

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy