Is brother his sister's keeper?

DEAR HARRY: I have a brother and a sister. We are all in our late 60s. Our sister has had some tough times with her health, and she now has to have pretty much total care. She can no longer live alone. The cost of her care will be a little short of $6,000 a month. Her own resources (pension and Social Security) will cover a little more than $4,000 of that, so it remains for us to take care of the rest because she has no children. My wife and I have agreed to kick in $1,000 a month, but we are having trouble with my brother. He's perfectly able to do at least the same. He lives in a classy home, and he and his wife drive high-end BMWs. But he claims inability to go for even $500. Is there some way you can convince him?

WHAT HARRY SAYS: Does your brother have some needs of his own that put financial pressure on him now as opposed to last year or before? In my experience, it is more likely that he's living beyond his means and it has finally caught up with him.

However, let me tell you of an ecumenical sermon I heard at Thanksgiving years ago. It started with the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" After some interesting talk and examples, the minister concluded, "No. I am not my brother's keeper. . . . I am my brother's brother." Perhaps he'll come to realize that he's his sister's brother. Good luck!

write to him at Daily News, 801 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19107.