I feel sorry for M. I’m no expert but IMHO I think she hates being there. I ‘read’ that this home takes away her dignity. And this uncoöperative behaviour might be a way she expresses her feelings. A mental home probably makes it even worse.When the OT came for an initial assessment, she asked M to sit up. M refused. The OT sat her up. Same for moving closer, standing, taking a step.
It seems much the same for the OTA and PT or PTA. I'm not sure how much they can "sit her up" after she refuses or whether it defeats the purpose of the rehab. At one point she was asked to lean forward and she leaned backward.
I also am not sure what, exactly, "refuses" is. She has sometimes refused to do things my sister asked of her. That was "I can't", or "not now", or "I want to go home." Or to stay with one of her other kids. Sometimes it was just turning her head away and not moving. Sometimes she would later do whatever it was if her son asked it instead of my sister; sometimes it seemed very clear that she really couldn't understand or couldn't do what was asked.