The staff team at a care home in St Budeaux in Plymouth embraced the spirit of Afternoon Tea Week by organising an amazing ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ for their residents who are living with dementia.

Clare Sinclair, manager of Butterfly Lodge, said: “The ‘Mad Hatter’s’ theme was chosen by our residents, and they enjoyed working with us to make props and decorations for the home. The introduction of a theme for afternoon tea was a great way to add a little extra fun to their day.

“There’s a ritual to afternoon tea which is familiar and reassuring, and we find it can prompt lots of pleasurable reminiscences, creating plenty of smiles and laughter.

“Staff were only too ready to join in the fun, dressing up as characters from the story, and we had the film of Alice in Wonderland playing quietly in the background.

“Because dementia can cause issues around co-ordination and recognition, it’s important to ensure that a mealtime is a calm, enjoyable experience for anyone living with the condition, with food that will appeal to them and be easy to eat.

“We treat every mealtime as an important affair: each one gives us an opportunity to build relationships, so our mealtimes are always sociable occasions, not just routine events to satisfy residents’ nutritional requirements.

“Hats off to our amazing kitchen team, who produced a fantastic spread to go on the beautiful tea trolley.

“Everyone enjoyed the sandwiches and cakes, and the way they were set out, and they all had such a good time.”

Butterfly Lodge is run by award-winning care provider Camelot Care who have other dementia care homes in Bridgwater, Wellington and Yeovil. Further details at www.camelotcare.co.uk