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.