Another thing to factor in for older people is faith.

Although there has been a systematic effort to faith-neutralize the country, it has not changed the persuasion of most older people, who overwhelmingly identify themselves as Christian and who are much more likely to have attended church for their entire lives.

Pick up any hymnal and you will find hundreds of songs that older people have been singing along with since they were little kids. And as people approach the end, these songs take on a new significance.

Obviously, if the institution is sponsored by a non-Christian organization (such as a Jewish home) Christian hymns would not be a good starting point. But for the average place that has a cross-section of society, hymns should be very popular.

My mother spent 10 years in an alzheimers home. When I visited her, there was often live entertainment. Usually they were playing hymns (and the residents were enthusiastically singing along)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0