Mother always said that she would never want to be a burden to her children.
My Farther died a few years after I graduated from high school and that left 4 siblings at home. Mother went to work and supported and took care my brother and sisters until they graduated from school and were out on their own. She continued to work and lived independently and continued to do so even after she retired. She couldn't drive so one of my sisters, who lived near by, would take her where she needed to go, grocery shopping, the doctor, etc. In 2001, when she was 83, she contracted pneumonia and ended up in the hospital. When she was told that she would have to go into a nursing home or live with one of her children she said from her hospital bed, "I'm tired and just want to go to sleep" and she did. Those were the last words she spoke. I firmly believe that she willed herself to death rather than be a burden to her children.
Take care
Tomas