From a small lounge/library in a Denton, Md nursing home.
Going on 15 years now that I've been serving seniors, primarily as a music therapist. It took only a short time, relatively, to adjust to the environment. These days, in many respects it's "down to a science". In a different (upscale) facility, once a month, I play for the "resident tea", where many enjoy coffee, tea, and desserts (just before lunch, but no one is keeping score). Tom (from social services) also attends. Throughout the hour he canvasses the room, eventually coaxing most of the ladies (individually) to dance. More than anything, this defines and structures my presentation. Each resident dances to a different song, the length of which is determined by the success of the dancing. Tom and I share this "science": timing the dance for each resident, pacing the space in between, as well as each specific dance tempo (though the waltz and the jitterbug can look amazingly similar). It's a well oiled machine, though Tom and I have never discussed this. In fact, Tom and I have never even had a conversation (about anything). It's no different than working on a gig w/ other musicians. If you're a pro, you know what to do, and the gig happens. That's my world.