'Practice Forum' is intended to provide a forum for social work practitioners to share their practice with others; to describe what they are doing and assess its effectiveness. We extend an invitation to all social work practitioners to submit articles for 'Practice Forum' and we look forward to receiving your contribution. Older people with behavioural problems are often referred to social workers in the hope that the social worker will effect change in that behaviour. This paper outlines the factors - psychological, familial, social, environmental, medical and psychiatric - which need to be considered when assessing behavioural problems and describes interventions found to be effective. Key behavioural problems and issues such as aggression, wandering, confusion, inappropriate sexual behaviours, elder abuse, reclusiveness, eating and sleeping disorders and screaming are also described. While assessment and management are potentially overwhelming, management based on sound assessment is possible and carers can be assisted with problems which are not essentially intractable.
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