Visitors to the Amsterdamse Bos have to be very careful today that they do not hit the head with golf balls that swing off. Rotary club Aalsmeer/Uithoorn is organizing a golf tournament for the eleventh time to raise money for charity.
The Amsterdamse Bos is a golf course for one day – NH News
This year, the money will go to Erasmus MC research frontotemporal dementia. This is a form of dementia that people get at a younger age (between 40 and 60 years). Two neurologists who are conducting research into this are also on the track today.
“It is very different from working in a hospital,” laughs neurologist Harro Selaar. “This is my first time playing golf and forest golf is a unique experience.”
“I don’t golf so often that the balls go straight for a while”
The golfers therefore have to deal with obstacles that you normally do not encounter on the golf course. Sports clubs doing their thing in the middle of the track, for example, or people enjoying a picnic or walking their dog.
“I don’t golf so often that the balls go straight”, one of the participants admits. “But we’re paying close attention.” A lady who walks her dog is therefore not very concerned. “Otherwise I’m sure I’ll be treated well,” she laughs. She doesn’t mind choosing a different path than usual to walk with her dog today. “The forest belongs to everyone and it’s for a good cause,” she says of the golf tournament.
Understanding
Dozens of volunteers not only mowed the lawn for two months, but today also ensure that no accidents occur. For example, they guide unsuspecting forest visitors off the track. “Sometimes they have something like: ‘the forest is also mine’,” says security guard Henk Kooijman. “But when we tell them what purpose it is for, they are usually understanding.”
Neurologist John van Zwieten has been researching frontotemporal dementia for 30 years and is pleased with the attention paid to the disease. He explains that it is not only very difficult for the patient, but also for the family. “It is different from Alzheimer’s disease, in which memory is in the foreground. With this form, people start behaving strangely and say that there is nothing wrong with them.”
Frontotemporal dementia
A person suffering from frontotemporal dementia shows remarkable changes in his or her behaviour, personality and emotions. In the end, they also often have problems with their language skills. There is no cure, but Erasmus MC hopes that the research will eventually lead to its development.
The researchers follow families in which the hereditary form of frontotemporal dementia occurs over a long period of time. “The children of someone with this hereditary form have a 50 percent chance of getting it,” says neurologist Selaar. “There have been a lot of developments going on in recent years and that has to continue, but research is expensive. That’s why we’re here today.”