How to deal with other people's bad behaviour?

As a carer, try to understand why the person you look after is behaving in this way. They might feel anxious or bored, or be in pain. If you can recognise the early warning signs, you may be able to prevent behavioural outbursts. For example, if being in a large group of people makes the person you care for feel anxious and they become agitated, you could arrange for them to be in a smaller group or have 1-to-1 support. Some people find a distraction can focus a person's energies elsewhere and prevent them displaying challenging behaviour. The person you care for might behave in a challenging way to get your attention. If this is the case, consider not responding directly to their behaviour – although you should not ignore them completely. But if their behaviour puts them or someone else at risk, you'll need to intervene as calmly as possible. If you're finding it hard to cope with the behaviour of the person you look after, ask a GP to refer you to a specialist. The specialist will want to know what situations or people trigger the behaviour, what the early warning signs are, and what happens afterwards. In extreme circumstances – for example, if the person's behaviour is harmful to themselves or others and all methods of calming them have been tried – a doctor may prescribe medicine. Seek support – many organisations for people with learning disabilities or dementia have schemes to connect carers with others in a similar situation, share your experiences – contact your local carers support group or call the Carers Direct helpline on 0300 123 1053, get respite care for the person you look after so you can take a break. Keep in touch with friends and family members – they can be an important source of practical and emotional support, do not be tempted to restrain the person you look after unless you believe their behaviour is putting them at risk and they do not have the mental ability or capacity to make a decision. Think about or ask the person why they're acting in a certain way. Stay calm, treat the situation with humour, rather than getting angry, distract their attention, rather than getting confrontational, if other people are present, explain to them that the behaviour is because of an illness and is not personal, keep a diary to see if you can find a pattern in their behaviour – for example, whether it's more likely to occur in certain situations, with the same people present, or at certain times of the day or night. If you're finding it difficult to control the behaviour of the person you look after, speak to social services or their GP.