In 1980, Roland was 8 years old. He was cerebrally damaged and had a spastic disablement. Each day was extremely stressful for all those involved, particularly for his mother. Roland scrabbled erratically through the small apartment, constantly at risk due to his uncontrolled motor functions. His mother was, at that time, physically and psychologically completed overburdened.  Following an incident in which Roland suffered a serious injury due to an overturned shelving unit, we, the cabinetmakers, together with his parents, discussed the possibilities for a permanent improvement of the domestic situation. We swiftly arrived at a mutual decision; what Roland needed was a combination of playpen and sleeping area with high safety rails. The rails should protect him from the constant danger of self-injury to which he had been exposed until then. The transparent construction method would enable eye contact with his mother.

The large internal dimensions of 39/79 inch allowed him adequate room for movement. As he reacted to the feel of cold metal with physiological panic, we were able to quickly determine that he reacted increasingly impartially to the warm, silky feel of solid wood. Even when he let his energy overflow, nothing was damaged; our stable construction allowed for the anticipated heavy use. Roland thereby lost his fear and nervousness and gained more self-confidence.

In the past, Roland had only been able to lie and sit. One day, his mother noticed that he was using the rounded wooden posts to try and pull himself to his feet. Even when he fell backwards now and again, he fell onto the soft mattress and did not hurt himself. As time went by, Roland became increasingly brave, daring a few clumsy steps to the left and to the right, always holding on tightly to the smoothly-finished wooden posts. With support from his parents, for whom this progress was a wonderful experience, Roland learned to walk outside of his bed, holding on to his mother’s arm.

When he was exhausted from a short walk, Roland always wanted to return to his bed. It became his little world of adventure, in which he could move around in complete safety.
A further important aspect was that Roland slept far better during the night. In the past he had had extreme problems going to sleep and staying asleep, but now the problems were diminishing; on some days he even slept through the night. He felt safe and secure in the surroundings which were becoming increasingly familiar to him. This was, of course, a huge relief for his parents. As close neighbors, constructors and manufacturers of his bed, we followed Roland’s wonderful development with great interest.

This experience had a lasting effect on our company. From then on, we concentrated on the production of these special beds which serve as a playpen during the day and a sleeping place at night. Success came swiftly. Today, KayserBetten are sold all over the world.

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