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Dementia worry for dad receiving hormone therapy

Jujen
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Hi,

I am feeling a little overwhelmed as to what to do for my dad. He has been receiving hormone therapy injections after radiotherapy for prostate cancer last year. 
However he has started to become quite confused, struggles with doing things for himself without guidance and repeats a lot of the same questions throughout the day. I have noticed that in the morning/early afternoon it isn’t as bad but as the day goes on it gets worse and he is easily confused. 
I have read that this could be side effects from the injections but can also become permanent. Does he have to continue the injections, he still had a few more to go, as this may cause dementia rather than just symtoms. 
I do not know where to start with what to do for the best for him to support him. 

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    Hi Jujen,

    I am replying to you, as the nurses are not here over the weekend, but hopefully you will get a reply from them tomorrow.

    I am so sorry to hear of the situation you find yourself in with your dad. Have you mentioned this to his care team? IT sounds as if the first thing to do. is to have a chat with them. I am not a doctor, but I am aware that both radiotherapy and hormone treatment can cause cognitive changes. Some of these may be temporary, but some can last for many years after treatment. It is also difficult to tell whether these changes are just a natural part of ageing or whether his treatment is the cause. Try to note down the changes you see and hopefully his care team can give you some suggestions. It is usual for mornings to be better in this situation and get progressively worse as the day progresses and he becomes more tired. You might also find it useful to get him assessed for Alzheimer's or Dementia, as they may also be able to give you some advice.

    It can be helpful to try and engage him in activities that stimulate his brain.

    I hope that you get some help soon. Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine 

  • Hello Jujen and thank you for your post,

    I am sorry to learn of your dad's situation. It must be a difficult time for you all.

    One of the side effects of hormone therapy can be that thinking and memory are affected. This will affect people in different ways. As Jolamine has mentioned, these can be temporary or may last some time after treatment.

    I wondered if your dad is aware of how he is. It is best for him to talk to his hospital team about your concerns, as they can assess him and may be able to clarify whether or not they think it is related to his treatment. Or with your dad's permission, you can speak with them yourself. Hopefully, your dad has a specialist nurse (CNS) that he could speak with. If they do not feel this is because of the treatment, then it would be worth him speaking with his GP to be assessed.

    The link I have given above includes some helpful tips to help with the thinking and memory changes he is experiencing.

    I hope this helps in some way and that you can get some support with this. In the meantime, if you would like to give the nurses on the helpline a call, please feel free. We are available between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday freephone 0808 800 4040.

    Jemma

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