Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - my crumbling back porch

Hi everyone, I have a back porch slab that measures approx. 8 feet by 14 feet. It is solid. My problem is that the top little bit of the layer crumbles each year. It was poured about 40 years ago and was a mortar mix with stone and sand I think, not smooth like today's slabs. It is not smooth anymore, and truth be told, the "gravely" top can be broomed away, but is never smooth, and starts the process all over again. Can I cement over this with some type of stone, or should I just rip it out? I really hate to do this or try decking over it because I have so many plants around it. It is also not attached to, and in fact, is about 2 feet away from the house. If I did rip it out, where do you take the busted pieces of concrete. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks so much for your time.

Some of the do it yourself concrete product manufacturers make a product for exactly what you need: recoat the surface of a failing concrete walk. These products can often be found at the big old retail giants.