Wilco, I play in senior homes on the US West Coast, primarily Seattle, San Diego, and the Portland/Salem/Vancouver area. I've no doubt that there would be some variations in requests if I were playing in Alabama, Maine, or in some other country. But the songs most requested tended to have widespread popularity in the US in their heyday -- especially the ones that were big in WWI or WWII.

Check out this link. I and several others posted lists of some of the songs most requested in "nursing homes," and that thread also gives links to several related threads. (Maybe the Joe Clones will add those links to this thread, too?)

Let me reiterate that the "top 40 list" will be different for Alzheimer's facilities, nursing/convalescent homes, assisted living facilities, retirement (independent living) residences, drop-in senior centers, adult day care centers, and various types of foster homes and group homes. The ages of residents/visitors can vary tremendously, as well as their cognitive funtioning level, ethnicity, religious orientation, etc. It never hurts to ask the staff for suggestions, as well as asking the residents themselves. I get a lot of requests for Elvis Presley songs, popular ballads and show tunes from the '50s, '60s, and '70s, in addition to requests for songs from the '20s through '40s. And "Tennessee Waltz" (©1951) is one of the most requested songs of all.

Genie