What is the ruling on the prayer of my elderly, sick mother who suffers from two ulcers and hemiplegia, and defecates on herself and has been unable to complete Al-Fatiha or pray for two years; and how should she pray in these circumstances?

If the mother is unable to perform the pillars of prayer due to dementia, prayer is waived for her, and there is no requirement to make it up later. If she is able to pray but unable to recite Al-Fatiha, she should move on to other parts of the Quran. If she is unable to do that, then to remembrance (dhikr). If she cannot do that either, she should remain silent for the duration of reciting Al-Fatiha. She is obligated to perform the prayer as long as she is aware of it, and she should pray in whatever manner she is able, according to the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; if you cannot, then on your side." It is obligatory to help her with purification and performing the prayer as much as possible. It is not permissible to abandon prayer altogether as long as she is of sound mind. If her mind changes due to dementia, she is excused, according to the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "The pen is lifted from three: from the sleeper until he wakes up, from the child until he grows up, and from the insane person until he regains his sanity or recovers." Some scholars have permitted the sick person to combine prayers to ease their burden.