Reading through all the comments and will write based on my own mother's experience. She was on a ventilator for 28 years. Yes, 28 years! In the beginning it was at night time only, then the last 12 years she needed it 24/7. At this point we did place her in a care facility.(she was at home with my dad as a care giver prior) In the beginning, medication at the hospital helped with the anxiety. She went home from the hospital on a portable ventilator and overtime learned to relax and sleep with it. Anti-anxiety medicine is a must in the beginning. My mom had a wheelchair that held the ventilator and we were able to take her places or just go outside for a walk when she was in the care facility. I would highly recommend you speak with hospice. They can offer so much help for all the issues your mom is facing and they are a great help to the family. Hospice does not mean that your mother is going to die within 6 months.....some people think that. If your mother is not appropriate for hospice, they will tell you. We got hospice involved when mom first went into the care facility. They were involved with her care and comfort for about 6 months and then discharged her from hospice as she was doing so well. The last few months of my mom's life hospice came everyday....to massage, hold her hands, cut her hair, pamper her and keep her comfortable. They made recommendations about medications for comfort to her physician. They were tremendous support to my dad and to me as well as my mom.