Dementia Sufferer Left To Roam Streets

A 79-YEAR-OLD dementia sufferer was left to roam the streets on Friday, after walking out of the Kirkcaldy care home where he was staying.

And staff at Appin House did not even know Max Meharry, who lives with vascular dementia after a number of strokes, was gone when his wife Davina (63), found him on the doorstep.

He is now in hospital in Dunfermline following a hernia operation, which Mrs Meharry believes was aggravated by the walk from Appin House.

She said: “I couldn’t believe it, anything could have happened to him and it was just luck that he managed to get home.

“When I called them up, the workers at the home didn’t even know he was gone. I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else, I don’t have any tears left to cry.

“Incidents like this are giving the place at bad name, why didn’t they have enough people working to stop this happening?”

Mr Meharry was booked into the home for a week to give his wife, who is also his carer, some respite.

She left him at about 12.45 p.m. on Friday and after carrying out some messages, returned to their Carnethy Crescent home at 3.20 p.m. to find him standing at the front door with his heavy suitcase.

Mrs Meharry added: “I don’t understand it, at Appin House they have a buzzer system to get into the building, but the door out is just a snib.
“My husband has done a lot for Templehall – many people will recognise his name and see what it has come to.”

Mr Meharry has been ill for almost two years but he previously worked at Seafield Colliery and also did a lot in the community. He is a well-known face in Kirkcaldy and was involved with different groups in the area and carried out voluntary work.