Perhaps a reveal box, which produces a small animal (hamster?) - subject to approval of the appropriate authority - and your performance "insurance cover".
People love small animals, which give a very calming peace of mind.

I have done a few independent living senior centers as well as the assisted living - and all of the suggestions are great! When you are in a group I try to find the one person who likes to laugh and talk - and get them involved, usually a follow me card trick - pretty soon the entire room is laughing. They love the attention - so I bring a stuffed rabbit in a hat - they interact very well with stuffed animals too.

Self-deprecating humor works. One of the great acts (he was almost on the Ed Sullivan show) but for some sad politics. I'm talking about Earl Johnson - Presto - but the show he did for benefits was just great and funny but mainly like he couldn't understand the audience when they yelled something at him. He wasn't too proud to have a rubber fried egg from a novelty shop on his head...Presto was bald, and a hat. Every once in a while he'd take off his hat to wipe his forehead with his sleeve, and the audience would yell "You have an egg on your head!" He'd say things like "I have a peg leg?" and the audience would yell more but by now his hat was back on. It was a running gag that got funnier each time. Worry about the audience having fun instead of them thinking YOU are great.

Great suggestons as I have also found that to get the audience "going" I have found that this little technique works the best.

I was just realizing that some people might be handicapped for sure, so remember you can use a visiting family member or the nurse, or nurse's aide to hold the thing, instead of the patient, if it seems like they are not able to themselves.

Since the initial post was about close-up, room to room..

I performed close-up magic for about 6 years in the pediatric unit of a local hospital, room to room.

Now a days, precautions will need to be taken, but, when that is less of a concern than currently; Let the magic happen in their hands:

- sponge balls that appear/disappear in their hands
- a cut and restored string that you let them pick a colored marker and mark the ends of a piece of string with it; have them cut the string in the middle; put the ends in their closed hand, then pull the string out of their had to show it is now 1 piece, and the color they chose, is now in the middle of the string. (I don't remember the source for this, but it is in many beginners books, hint, it uses some R.C.)

- tie a piece of string at the ends (reuse from above) and drape it over their upright thumbs; thread a finger ring over that string, and point
out that the ring can't get off the string as long as the keep their thumbs UP (if they don't, it will spoil the effect). I then do some movements of the string while talking about how life seems complicated, stuck.. as that ring is; then I put my fist over the ring, run it back and forth, and reveal that the ring is now off the string but that loop of string remains on draped over their thumbs. (see Magic for Dummies p85


- and many others

John

I recommend Invisible Deck for the larger crowds of 10 plus.