From discussions it is revealed that Don has an elderly mother who he "keeps an eye on". Don's widowed mother, Iris, lives across town. Don visits her at least three times a week and helps maintain the house, do her banking and run errands. Iris is in good health generally, but is starting to lose her eyesight. She lives in a pre war bungalow in the suburbs, and is bound and determined to stay independent in her own home.
Don does not want his mother to move with his family to New York. Nor does Don's mother want to move. She has lived in the house all her married life. But Don knows that when he moves, there won't be anyone around to "keep an eye on his Mother". He feels a responsibility to his Mother, but also does not want to turn down the transfer.
You are getting reports that Mary is constantly taking time off to deal with her aging father. He has had some "spells", seeing green strings in the air, finding people under the bed, and creates a fuss when Mary leaves to go to work in the morning. Her father seems to be more and more distracted. Mary is wondering if he is in early stages of Alzheimer's and should be moving to a home, rather than back to his house. There also seems to be some conflict between Mary's children and their grandfather.
Mary is obviously distracted, and it is affecting her ability to meet her obligations on the job.
