Beyond the Benefits of Assistance Dogs: Exploring Challenges Experienced by First-Time Handlers

Understanding the experience of assistance dog providers supporting people with disability: an exploratory study

PURPOSE

Assistance dogs can provide many health and wellbeing benefits to people with disability, however challenges remain. Assistance dog providers provide crucial support to assistance dog handlers, however limited literature exists exploring their experience working with people with disability. This study aimed to understand the experiences of assistance dog providers working in Australia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twelve assistance dog providers participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged describing the participant experience. Theme one discussed instances of discrimination experienced by assistance dog handlers, stemming from the lack of public awareness. Theme two captured the inconsistencies regarding the training of assistance dog providers with a specific focus on the gaps in the disability specific knowledge. Theme three emphasised the lack of clarity regarding legislation outlining the training requirements of assistance dog providers and the public access rights of the handlers. Theme four emphasised funding barriers, and theme five discussed barriers to interprofessional collaboration between assistance dog providers and allied health professionals.

CONCLUSION

These findings contribute to understanding the current barriers experienced by assistance dog providers and assistance dog handlers, as well as the legislative changes required to better support people with disability.

Benefits and challenges of mobility and medical alert service dogs for caregivers of service dog recipients

PURPOSE

Mobility and medical alert service dogs are an assistive technology for individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions. Informal caregivers of individuals with disabilities are subject to physical and emotional stress due to their responsibilities. Understanding how service dogs, an increasingly common assistive technology, may add to or subtract from caregiver stress is crucial for promoting caregiver well-being. The purpose of this study was to analyze caregiver accounts to understand their perspective on benefits and challenges they face with mobility and medical alert service dogs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Open ended survey responses from 117 caregivers of service dog recipients (N = 72 with a service dog, N = 45 on the waitlist) were analysed through a conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

Four major themes were found regarding caregiver and service dog: Family Benefits, Caregiver Benefits, Assistance Through Service Dog's Training, and Drawbacks.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that benefits and challenges of mobility and medical service dogs extend beyond the service dog recipient, affecting the caregiver and other family members as well. Future studies should further explore this interaction to determine the best way to support caregivers of individuals with disabilities.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONMobility and medical alert service dogs are increasingly partnered with individuals with disabilities or chronic diseases as an assistive technology but few studies have focussed on the experience of the caregivers of service dog recipients. Caregivers of individuals with disabilities or chronic diseases may be subject to both psychological and physiological stressors as a result of their caregiver duties.Results found that caregivers perceive both benefits to themselves and to their families in terms building a bond with the animal that helps to reduce worry and offers emotional support. The most commonly mentioned drawbacks include general maintenance of the service dog, grooming needs and travel restrictions.This research is important in order to offer appropriate support to caregivers of individuals with disabilities.

The Impact of the Social Determinants of Human Health on Companion Animal Welfare

The social determinants of health (SDH) focus on the social, physical and economic factors that impact human health. Studies have revealed that animal guardians face a range of challenges in attaining positive welfare outcomes for their companion animals, which can be influenced by socioeconomic and environmental factors. Despite this, there is a lack of research specifically exploring the relationship between SDH and animal welfare outcomes. Given that the SDH impact on humans, which in turn directly impacts on their companion animal, it is important to adapt an SDH framework for companion animal welfare by characterising the impact of the SDH on companion animal guardians in their attempts to care for their animals and, by extension, the associated welfare outcomes. This paper explores how these human health determinants may impact animal welfare and the possible challenges that may arise for the guardian when attempting to meet their companion animal's welfare needs. By integrating the SDH with other key frameworks, including the five domains model of animal welfare, through multidisciplinary collaboration, this framework can be used to inform future programs aiming to improve animal welfare.

Understanding the participation outcomes for persons with disability when partnered with assistance dogs: A scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Assistance dogs are trained to support persons living with disability and mitigate limitations that hinder their participation in everyday activities. Despite participation being a frequent challenge for people with disabilities, evidence linking assistance dog provision to improved participation outcomes is underdeveloped. This scoping review aimed to improve understanding by mapping the participation outcomes claimed in research on assistance dogs using the International Classification of Functioning (ICF), Disability and Health framework.

METHODS

Using the Arksey and O'Malley's six-step framework, this scoping review searched six databases. Data were collected, mapped and summarised in accordance with the domains outlined in the ICF.

RESULTS

In total, 38 studies across 41 papers met the inclusion criteria. Included studies investigated assistance dogs who were partnered with people living with physical disabilities, mental illness, autism and chronic conditions that require alerting (e.g., epilepsy and diabetes). Mapping of participation outcomes suggested that assistance dogs can have a positive impact on participation in many areas of daily life.

CONCLUSION

Findings can assist practitioners, funders and policymakers to recognise the value of assistance dogs as a support for people with disability. However, further research is needed to address limitations regarding study designs, for example, the outcome measures used.

Handlers' Expectations and Perceived Compatibility regarding the Partnership with Their First Guide Dogs

The main function of a guide dog is as a mobility aid, but they can also fulfill psychosocial roles as companions, social facilitators, and objects/providers of affection. This study examined the outcome of 50 peoples' (handlers) partnerships with their first guide dog. Overall compatibility and the fulfilment of the handlers' expectations regarding mobility and social factors related to guide dog usage were measured, and relationships between putative risk factors and the outcome of matching success were identified. The findings demonstrate that the dogs are generally exceeding expectations. The high average ratings of compatibility were notable, particularly with respect to the emotional compatibility between handler and dog. Comparing responses of those who felt the handler-dog pairing was a good match with those who felt it was a mismatch revealed it was the working aspects of the relationship that differentiated the two groups. However, the many aspects of life with a guide dog, beyond the complexities of the working relationship, suggest that a more nuanced compatibility measure accommodating both positive and negative aspects of the relationship could assist with matching, training and follow up of the handler-dog team to maximize success.

'Community members aren't aware that assistance animals come in all shapes and sizes, and help people with all kinds of disabilities' - Experiences of using assistance animals within community living in Australia

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate: (1) the characteristics of people using, or had previously used, assistance animals within community living in Australia; (2) positive and/or negative experiences of these users; and (3) educational resources that may aid public awareness.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An online survey was distributed through Australian assistance animal organisations and social media channels. Past/current assistance animal users (n = 112) responded to questions on demographic and types of animal supports used, experience of assistance animal use, community attitudes experienced, and perspectives about the need for public education. Data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Content analysis provided additional insights of the positive and/or negative experiences assistance animal users had faced.

RESULTS

Nearly all participants used an assistance dog (n = 111), and 37 (33%) used the animal for more than one type of support. Seventy percent reported experiencing both positive and negative community attitudes/reactions. Length of time of having an assistance animal was associated with significantly higher prevalence of positive attitudes/reactions, whilst users who received medical support from the animal tended to experience more negative community attitudes/reactions than other users. The majority (90%) agreed that more public education is needed regarding assistance animal public access rights.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first in Australia to undertake a large-scale survey of assistance animal users with a range of disability types. It highlights the benefits and challenges of assistance animals, which could be useful to consider when determining the most appropriate support for an individual.Implications for RehabilitationThere are a range of possible benefits, but also challenges, in the use of assistance animals that should be considered when a person with disability or health conditions, or people advising them, are determining if an animal is the most appropriate support.Assistance animals can provide multiple types of support to one user, so could offer a potential cost-benefit beyond traditional assistive devices or other types of support.To ensure better inclusion of assistance animal users, public education is needed to promote community awareness of the types of animals that meet the definition of an 'assistance animal', and thus have public access rights.In Australia, a nationally consistent government approach to the regulation, accreditation and funding of assistance animals should be established with the aim to address the current fragmented or unfair investment approach and/or discrimination experienced by some individuals.

The influence of contextual factors on an individual's ability to work with an assistance dog

PURPOSE

First-time assistance dog handlers experience a profound life change when they bring an assistance dog into their home. Therefore, this article investigates the broad context of handlers' lived experiences prior to and throughout the first year after acquiring an assistance dog.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To understand holistic experiences better, semi-structured interviews were conducted with first-time assistance dog handlers (n = 7), parents (n = 7), assistance dog instructors (n = 6), carers/other individuals (n = 3) at four time points: before an individual received an assistance dog, and then at three further times for up to one year after they received the assistance dog.

RESULTS

Inductive content analysis revealed that four main contextual factors (societal, social support, environmental and personal) influenced the lived experience of working with an assistance dog. Many of these factors were outside of the handler and the assistance dog organization's control, and they were shown to cause many challenges for handlers.

CONCLUSION

These factors must, therefore, be taken into consideration when organizations make decisions about placing an assistance dog.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONSocietal influences can both hinder and facilitate the benefits first-time handlers receive with their assistance dog in public.Support from others is important to successfully integrate an assistance dog into a first-time handler's life.A handler's level of environmental control can influence their experiences with their assistance dog.Personal factors such as a handler's experience of disability and motivation or resilience can impact experiences with their assistance dog.