I am new as a caregiver my 87 yr old Mom with dementia, she came to live with me 6 months ago when I found her not able to take a shower or dress herself. I take her 2 days a week to Adult Day Care it gives me a break and her a break from me and she can talk with others that have the same disease. Now the Adult Day Care nurses suggested the physical therapy. Mom refuses a walker. She does have heart disease mitrial stenosis so if she walks too fast she gets dizzy and sometimes passes out.
I'd go with the therapy if you can get it. It won't hurt, and they can sometimes identify and work with some weaknesses that aren't surface apparent. Also discuss occupational therapy. A good occupational therapist will help mom find ways to do thing that she likes and deal with increasing physical and cognitive issues. It's a bit more of a holistic approach than physical therapy.
If she loves her doctor - get her doctor to talk to her while you are there with her so he/she can explain why the walker is important. My sister and I have had to result to these tactics and we've been taking care of our mom for 8 yrs now. With your help, let her still try to dress herself. It's another way to exercise and keep moving. Once you start doing it for them, they may let you do it all the time without trying themselves.
You will find out later as her world changes that she will not want to do or use many things that will help her and you, like wearing Depends or having you help her clean herself etc...This is just the beginning! She could be getting dizzy if she is dehydrated. Our mom has heart problems too and was always getting light headed, until we learned more about hydration and how many ounces of water she must have a day. We use her meds to help us measure her water intake because she drinks more one pill at a time.
Also, make sure her meds are taken around the same time every day, you don't want them to clash with each other. That's why people never get their rest when in hospitals!
There so much to learn and it is a day to day process.
After hospitalization for heart problem; she was sent to rehab to regain her strength. We requested physical therapy assessment and she had PT at the rehab for 3 weeks. She was much improved when she returned home. Learned again, how to use walker properly and she was standing straighter and had more strength. So, yes - PT helps and she was 88 at the time. Take care.