As a rule, I never play nursing homes. This year, I have been trying to cover the jobs of a friend who had a stroke. Looks like he may not make it. I let him keep the pay. Like many players, he has no cushion and needs every $.

I've known Nick since the early 60's. I've told all the homes that I will cover the jobs until his family says he's not coming back (he won't) or he passes.

Nursing homes, AD's and management turn my stomach.My only interaction with AD's is when I tell them "no".


Russ

Way to go, Steve. My approach was very successful for me, and of course, results may vary. When I was pushing it hard, I averaged about 75 percent success when I went the full route, promo package, followup phone calls and personal visits. Once I got my foot in the door, I was usually there forever.

One of the benefits was that those NH jobs frequently led to corporate parties for the owners of the NH and Assisted Living facilities, lots of in house weddings, private parties for resident family members, and nearly every special event, all of which were very, very lucrative. However, I charged the same hourly rate, but those parties were all 3 to 5-hour parties, which made for a damned nice paycheck.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed performing the nite club/restaurant circuit, the pay was lousy at best. Most nights the facility paid me $150 for a 4 hour performance, and you had to rely on tips to make the night worthwhile. Additionally, you got home at an ungodly hour, were dead tired and had to drive through the worst sections of Baltimore to get home. After just one year of working the NH circuit, I vowed I would never go back to that life. I know UD and DonM love it, but it's not for me.

Good luck,

Gary