In the nursing home/retirement home gigs I have done, they generally had me sing in a lounge area, where folks gathered anyway. Maybe a couple three or four dozen people, some seated in wheelchairs, pushing walkers, or walking with canes gather and when all was ready, the show began.

I usually sang a couple of half-hour sets like the ones I did in coffeehouses, back to back—I was announced ahead of time as a singer of folk songs. Lots of older people remembered hearing Burl Ives and The Weavers on the radio and on juke boxes, so those who gathered in the lounge know what I was all about.

Just me and my guitar (unamplified classic) as I normally performed, so I didn't lug around and set up a lot of gear—and I've never had a problem with people not being able to hear. My voice is fairly big, and I gear it to the size of the room.

I got lots of appreciative comments, and I didn't charge for this kind of performance. Just doing my bit.

Don Firth