Why does your mother has to settle upon working for others?

Whatever the skills she has and she would be selling to Home Depot, she can use these same skills to get more money for herself, because in order for Home Depot to hire her, they have to pay less than what she actually produces, so they can profit.

Instead of working for others, I think she’d better off working for herself.

You think “Well, it’s not that easy”. Yes, it is. It all depends on your perspective.

Gather her skill set, and try to see if there is some product or service that she could provide. Cooking, Gardening, Teaching? If she offers her services to one person, and the person pays her $20, it means she is in business.

You say she have been thirty years in the U.S. Why doesn’t her charge others to teach her 1st language online, to people?

If she doesn’t have any marketable skill, get her sell stuff. What? Anything.

Lemme tell you, there have been people in much worse situations. Do you know some people get to live with half a dollar/day, in underdeveloped countries? People with absolutely no opportunities, who would chop an arm off to be in any wealthy country, such as Canada, US?

What happens, can happen to anyone. What they do about it is what differs the midterm outcome.