My Brother’s Keeper

Every visit to help him clear out his apartment and manage related details necessitated a four-hour round trip from her hometown to his, and she and her sister were falling apart.

David is in his seventies.

As stigma surrounding mental and physical illness dissipates, many adults with handicaps who might formerly have been shut away in institutions are being supported in more independent living arrangements and welcomed, to the extent possible, into the community.

Additionally, a rising tide lifts all ships, and as medical advances continue to extend lifespans, they also increase the life spans of the developmentally delayed and physically handicapped populations. An entire generation of adults with special needs, who in previous generations wouldn’t have outlived their parents, are now the charges of their siblings.

Even when the sibling with special needs is safely cared for in a group home, medical decisions, financial planning, and general loving family care all remain the responsibility of their siblings.