Nursing homes are more & more being bought up by huge corporations which give the Activities Directors very little money to run their activities department. Having been in the job before, I can tell you that one place I worked gave me $100 per month for all the activities. I always asked my performers if a check was ok or if they wanted cash. Try to imagine dividing $20 between a dozen people in your band. The residents of nursing homes have little or no cash money they can spend. The residents of Senior apartments usually have money of their own to spend if Musicians are selling recordings. Many of them prefer tapes to CDs.
    The Senior apartment residences are the places which have the most money for entertainers, but singing for seniors won't make much money, most people do it as more of a "labor of love."
   For what it's worth, there is very little time for the Activities Director to be at her desk. I rarely had more than 1/2 an hour a day-if that, which was usually my lunchtime. Most of the time I called my volunteers & entertainers before they could call me. I gave them all my home number. The rest of the time was spent in my duties which entailed much more than the daily activities on the calendar. One on one visits with residents who were bedfast, of which there are always many are required, as they should be. Endless charting which is the law--as part of the duties, monthly charting must be done on the medical chart of every resident to document their ability to participate, how much they participate, what is being done to improve their socialization, etc., etc. If I did 10 a day, I might be able to get them all done each month before it was time to begin charting for the next month. If the Social Services director was ill or the position vacant, I did their job, too. When I did both jobs, I never sat down! Some nursing homes where I worked, I was expected to assist with feeding residents at mealtimes & getting them to & from the dining hall. If the entertainer did not show up, & pushed a piano into a lounge or grabbed my guitar & sang. If a minister couldn't make it, I led services.
   When I left that line of work, & taught lessons at home, it took over 6 months for my swollen feet to go back down 2 sizes to their normal size. It's not the easiest job, & the pay ain't great, but I always enjoyed the seniors.