Is it possible for a formerly strong and active 78 year old man (my father) to recover muscle use after 4 months of being bed-ridden due to surgery? The surgeries were a success but some set-backs (pneumonia, etc.) have kept him bedridden. Except for a feeding tube (abdominal entry) due to some swallowing difficulties, he is physically recovered. But he is so weak, he usually refuses to try to sit up for even short periods. He is mentally alert and knows he should be working to get out of bed as soon as possible, and even he can't explain his refusal, except that even contemplating getting up produces anxiety. If family members continue to encourage him, he will eventually get angry. There is no doubt that a lot of muscle strength has been lost and he is quite weak and needs assistance at this stage. But is it even possible to regain muscle strength after all this time? Is this entirely physical or could there be a psychological issue as well? What should we,as his family,do? He's at home with some outside assistance and constant visits and encouragement from his children but he's wearing my mother to a frazzle.
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