As increasing numbers of people are developing dementia, the Alzheimers Society and several heritage organisations have produced a very practical guide: [Link removed 12/12/23 as no longer available on the external website]. Beamish Museum does a lot of work with people who have dementia, and as part of the northern launch of Rethinking Heritage, they set up two tea tables - one is dementia-friendly, and the other less so.
The dementia-friendly table is set out so that everything on the table is easier to see. Mugs are easier to hold than cups and saucers.
The table set out below will be more difficult for people with dementia; the pattern on the table cloth may be mistaken for real fruit, the biscuits are not on separate plates, the glass of water is hard to see, and the patterned cups and saucers are difficult to see and not so easy to pick up.
Simple changes can make a big difference.