Difficult & Combative People

Getting along with all kinds of people is part of your job. To deal with difficult and combative people, change the way you react to the situation. Your attitude and communication skills make all the difference!

DIFFICULT PEOPLE

Difficult clients may be suffering from pain or illness, recovering from stress or tragedy, dealing with a disability, feeling lonely or depressed or even taking medications that make them act differently than normal.

Your difficult clients may be:

Demanding
Irritable
Unreasonable
Stubborn
Depressed
Angry
Complaining
Ungrateful
Pushy
Mean
Argumentative
Sarcastic

COMBATIVE PEOPLE

Keep in mind that people are more likely to be violent when they have trouble communicating, are scared, overwhelmed or have their “personal space” invaded.

A combative or violent person may:

Try to intimidate you.
Yell, swear and make threats.
Look flushed and tense, with clenched fists.
Glare intensely.
Throw objects.
Pace or stomp their feet.
Physically assault you by hitting, scratching and biting.

GOOD POINTS TO REMEMBER!

If you think that a person is going to be difficult, he probably will be...because of the way you behave around him! So consider changing your attitude!
Disruptive behaviors between co-workers are considered bullying if they occur repeatedly (twice a week or more) and for a long time (6 months or more) in situations where the victim finds it difficult to defend against or stop the abuse.
Tell your supervisor if the stress of working with a particular client is getting to you. It’s better to switch your assignment than to risk taking your frustration out on the client.
Consider using a “buddy system” when caring for clients who have a history of being combative. This isn’t so you can “gang up” on the client, but so that you can remain safe as you perform client care.