Kaitin

Respectfully really? ok.........

Many post in AD about social problems, depression, afraid of going to parties, feeling too lonely etc. Maybe a service dog helps. I don't think "we need help" - just some. Also saying something "helps" doesn't mean everyone has a big problem with this, just that it helps.

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Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, Volume 1, Issue 1 & 2 January 2006 , pages 41 - 48: Psychosocial well-being and community participation of service dog partners

Purpose. This cross-sectional study examined whether partnering with service dogs influenced psychosocial well-being and community participation of adult individuals using wheelchairs or scooters.

Results. Psychosocial characteristics did not differ significantly between those partnered with and without service dogs overall. However, of participants with progressive conditions, those with service dogs demonstrated significantly higher positive affect scores than comparison group participants. Among those with clinical depression, service dog partners scored significantly higher in positive affect. Finally, regardless of whether individuals had service dogs, fewer depressive symptoms and being female or married were predictors of greater community participation.

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Child Development, Vol. 60, No. 6 (Dec., 1989), pp. 1529-1534: Social Acknowledgments for Children with Disabilities: Effects of Service Dogs

While service dogs are known to perform important tasks for people using wheelchairs, such as retrieving dropped items or pulling a wheelchair, they may also serve as an antidote for social ostracism. Adults in wheelchairs have been found to receive many more social acknowledgments when a service dog is present than when not. This study examined whether disabled children in wheelchairs with service dogs receive more frequent social acknowledgment than when no dog is present. Behaviors of passersby in response to children in wheelchairs were recorded in shopping malls and on school playgrounds. In both settings, social acknowledgments (e. g., friendly glances, smiles, and conversations) were substantially more frequent when a service dog was present. Social effects of the dog were more pronounced in shopping malls, typical of unfamiliar settings where the child would be likely to experience being ignored or overlooked. Service dogs may assist in normalizing the social interactions for children with disabilities producing social isolation.

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From Occupational Therapy in Health Care: . . . a journal of contemporary practice, Volume: 13 Issue: 2: Service Dogs: A Compensatory Resource to Improve Function

Objective. This study examined the physical, emotional, social, and economic functions of service dogs, the training methods for service dog/owner teams, and problems encountered with service dogs in relationship to occupational therapy literature and domain of concern.

Results. Owners reported that service dogs assisted them in 28 functional tasks, helped them to feel safe, increased their social interaction, and reduced physical assistance by others. Problems with service dogs included difficulty with dog maintenance and public awareness of their role as a worker or assistant to the owner. Over 80% of respondents desired additional training in alternative ways to perform daily living tasks.