Service Dog for Vickie

Hello, my name is Marissa Andrick and I'm currently a student at George Mason University. I'm on here to ask for help  in being able to purchase an Alzheimers/Dementia service dog for my mother, Vickie Noser, who has been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment with 90% probability of entering full-blown Alzheimers in the next 3-5 years. Being only 53, this unexpected diagnosis has thrown our family for a loop. As of Oct 3, 2014, she had to retire earlier than planned due to anxiety and memory loss which affected her being able to remember how to do her job as an accountant for Northwestern Community Services here in Front Royal, VA. In efforts to prolong the effects of Alzheimers and help with the devastation it causes mentally, we've been looking into obtaining a specially trained service dog from Wilderwood Service Dogs in Maryville, Tennessee. It's hefty price tag is the only thing holding us back. Priced with a down payment of $1,000 and total cost of $12,500, it's a hard pill to swallow. However, I really want to find a way to work it out for her, as I believe prolonging her life and letting her lead a happier, more meaningful life has no pricetag. With retirement, she's only getting $400 a month, and disability is still uncertain as it's a very long process. This is why I'm reaching out to you, the local community, in allowing my mother to be able to recieve her new lifelong companion which will help with so many facets of this next chapter in her life! I'll keep everyone updated as we get any more information on the matter, and thank you again for all your support and kind words.

Here's Wilderwood's website http://www.wilderwood.org/

Here is the link for DogWish if you'd like to look around. They have tons of information on service dogs and the daily tasks they help with! http://www.dogwish.org/index.html

One of the most misunderstood and overlooked facets of this disability are that those disabled by Dementia, undergo a horrific mental regression.  As they do, they:

Start feeling cut off and isolated, and mentally abandoned by those whom they are closest to.
They experience a great loss of ability to describe what they think and how they feel. 
They can’t communicate what is going on inside of them and begin to feel that those around them don’t understand, or don’t care.
As they struggle to find the words and express the thoughts that are so important, they actually forget what they wanted to communicate and give up trying.

From their website: We have dogs that have learned to “bark” or alert the family by “pointing” or by pacing, when their loved one with a disability is intending to do something wrong. If they try to be destructive, sneak out a door, turn on the stove or escape from the back yard, etc., the dog will immediately alert and tell on them.
Our dogs are trained to respond to a verbal command, or as needed and return their handler to their home, car or family, immediately.
Our dogs are trained to detect and alert to an abnormal or wrong neurological event in the handler and to alert before the handler is affected.