I'm taking my brother to breakfast this morning. I'm going to try to lay the ground work needed to separate him from Mom. His first question to me last night when I telephoned him was, "Is Mom coming home?"

Physically, Mom can't handle the stairs to the house any more. She'd eventually fall and break another bone. She also can't manage the maintenance of the house any longer. Truth be told she hasn't been able to manage it in years. Mentally, she's still in a maniac episode. She could hurt herself.

My biggest concern is that they each will harbor a huge resentment against me for this. But separating them is in their best interest. Barry needs the freedom to take care of himself and the responsibility to handle his own stuff as much as possible. He qualifies for a personal assistant. If I can get him into an apartment in my building I'd be on hand to assist him.

Mom needs to be able to relax, knowing that Barry is being taken care of, and let others do for her. It's high time.