OP said it stopped 10 minutes in, which means it was working initially. When and what was s/he supposed to check?

during the interview.. can't trust technology completely. and there's nothing wrong with double checking.

I usually double check at the beginning of doing something, right before starting. I don't know many people that stop in the middle of whatever they're doing to check the equipment or whatever again.

If whatever recording device he was using has a limited amount of space on it, he should have checked to be sure that he had enough for the entire interview. And glancing at it quickly to be sure it's still going takes very little effort.

i'm saving this fml because this is the sort of thing that *may* happen to me if i'm honest. i'm surprised the tape recorder button didn't push up make a loud sound signifying that it's not recording anymore? :(

For them it'l be first time.

I would go to a different nursing home so it's not as embarrassing.

Why would OP waste time taking notes when s/he thought s/he could go through the conversation again later? Best to give the subjects OP's full attention.

We are nearly completely immersed in technology; it's quite reliable.