The author makes it clear that he can't simply "move closer to where office based jobs are" because he cares for his disabled mother.
I get that, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. He won’t be much use to his disabled mother if he can’t cover the bills.
I wonder if he should consider taking his mother with him and moving somewhere with a better local job market. Similarly, parents move and take their kids with them when the job market demands it.
There is a separate conversation to be had about whether this is a good thing -- should we allow the job market to force people to move away from their homes/families/friends/connections? -- but it's already a fact of life for a lot of people.