Unprecedented funds have been raised by this year’s Poppy Appeal, which has so far taken in more than $30,000 — the most successful of the ten operated by the Bermuda Legion.

Thanks to the community’s support, the group is offering a second round of its training course to get members of the public qualified as home caregivers for dementia sufferers.

Training was brought to Bermuda last year with the help of Alzheimer’s Disease International, but proved so popular that some had to be turned away.

“It shows us how caregivers are so desperately needed,” said Carol Everson, welfare case worker for the veterans’ charity, which hopes to make the course a regular offering.

“Our next course will probably be in March 2017, and will have Mark Wortmann, the executive director of ADI, to present it.

“Our course was created specifically to build a population of caregivers for people with dementia, and has been taken up by other countries as a result. The course is free to war veterans’ families and to anyone who is unemployed, because there are so many who need jobs and have no prospects.”

Ultimately the goal is to put in place a master trainer for Bermuda to continue the course locally. The training is open to the greater community, not just veterans, at the Legion’s expense.

“The sacrifices these people made hopefully will never be repeated,” Ms Everson said. “Their last days need to be free of anxiety.”

Meanwhile, costs have risen while hard-won benefits have been eroded. Ms Everson pointed to the case of “a 99-year-old woman, our last living link with the First World War”, who is in King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with a brain tumour and dementia.

“The hospital needs to vacate the long-term care bed and is trying to find a nursing home for her, but there is nowhere for this lady to go. Our top aim continues to be for a multi-use nursing home — there is no solution for this unless one is created now. My daughter says that love is a doing word, not a talking word. This is not something we can talk about any longer.”

Ms Everson thanked all volunteers, especially the Royal Bermuda Regiment, for their support of the appeal, adding that media coverage had helped. The Anglican Cathedral and Gorham’s gave additional support, along with schools and churches, with the Legion now putting together its annual Christmas gift programme for elderly veterans and their widows — and special thanks went to Lt Col David Gibbons for donating shop space, as well as John Kane and the Rugby Classic for their assistance.

Anyone who knows of a veteran in need this Christmas is asked to contact the Legion at nosoldierleftbehind@hotmail.com or 293-3975.