Learning to listen to the body's signals is vital to any plan designed to reduce further degradation or muscle strength. If you're tired, rest. If you hurt, stop. An orthopedic specialist may recommend braces, or other assistive devices, to help relieve the stress that is being placed upon weakened muscles and joints. In some cases this is sufficient to halt the progression of weakness.
Selective surgery can sometimes redistribute the residual control so that strain is reduced.
What they assume to be a burden can actually be very liberating. Using these aids will allow them to conserve their energy for those activities that they feel are most important. Because pulmonary function has such an important bearing on an individual's general health, this area deserves special emphasis. Standard tables for vital capacities list variables for age and height. These may not have much relevance for many of us.