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Perceptions Of Using Diabetic Alert Dogs To Promote Occupations And Quality Of Life, Haley Speake, Rocio Alvarenga, Adam Gibson

Summer 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project consisted of a pilot phenomenological qualitative research study with the goal of assessing diabetic alert dogs' impact on their owners' occupations and quality of life from the owner's perspective. Individuals with type 1 diabetes that personally own a diabetic alert dog were interviewed virtually using a semi-structured approach. The goal of the interview questions was to gather information regarding health management, daily occupations, and quality of life. Gaps in the research were identified, and it was found that few research studies focused on the impact or benefits of a diabetic alert dog from the owner’s perspective. Therefore, …