I personally respect that and consider it to be the a sound choice. Not only this helps him to get some physical activity, but also a sense of control over his body and life which is a crucial thing to have in his age/situation. I really can't overestimate how important that is for his is deteriorating self-being. That allows him to keep some measure of self-respect and pride. At my 40 I started to understand that old people (I mean OLD, like 80+) are not strange yoda-like creatures from outer space (like I suspected when I was younger) but actually not different from us except for their bodies not working right anymore in many different ways and w/o any hope for getting better. Most of the time men feel pity and shame in such situation, no different from somebody younger. Whatever they can do to prove themselves their ability - I appreciate that.