My friend Dean Mathis and I traveled the entire state of Louisiana doing Nursing Homes for about 15 years. We billed it as Old-time Rock n' Roll and Classic Country.
We started with "One for the money, two for the show, (Blue Suede Shoes) and didn't let up much for an hour.
They love it. Keep it mostly upbeat. The residents enjoy music from their prime years, and now days that is mostly 50's, 60's and 70s.
Here's a link to our website, although it hasn't been updated in years. http://donnymason.tripod.com/

DonM