Dana, what's a Peace Choir?

Genie, I had also thought about starting a new thread, but I suspect that we've pretty much said all there is to say already, unless Night Owl wants to join in.

I know that the risks I mentioned exist whether or not the activity is labelled therapy, and that you personally are better able to avoid them than the average person. My concern here was not for the actual risks but the question of liability. A musician entertaining an audience member does not have the same responsibilities as a health care professional treating a patient. I think I'm being influenced here by my training as a Home Support Worker, where it was impressed on us that when working in that capacity our responsibilities and limits are different from those of a random friendly visitor. Also, I have a long bizarre story of my own, in which an autistic man in my care put both of our lives in danger because of his obsession with music.

But hopefully the fact that many facilities do hire non-licenced therapists means that it's OK, or at least that it's the facility's mistake if it's not OK. If this only happened once I would want to know if the AD also thought they speak Italian in Mexico, but I guess there's strength in numbers.

You said, "Sorry to leave this kinda up in the air. -- I have to go do music at an assisted living residence and a convalescent center." Cool... I was out this afternoon too, playing fiddle at the local nursing homes. I was volunteering (I know, I know, but this is my hometown and I don't think it'll compromise my big city career girl status) and I noticed that the AD in one place made notes on who attended. Now, on July 28 and 29 you told me that volunteering is a donation to the facility rather than the residents, and I doubted this because I was finding people sitting around doing nothing when I arrived and after I left. But now the fact that notes were being made suggests that my free show was actually "counted" by the home as part of their programming. When will I learn... Genie is always right!

Marion