Protac Ball Blanket^® Flexible

CASES

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40-year-old man, brain damaged due to a traffic accident

The man uses the Protac KneedMe^® knee blanket during transport in a wheelchair, as he would otherwise tense severely in his lower extremities (legs). In the past, the tension has been so violent that he has had spasms in his lower extremities (legs). When using the knee blanket, he can sense his body while being transported in the wheelchair, resulting in less anxiety and less tense muscles. The man has also started using the Protac Ball Blanket^® at night and during his mid-day rest. This results in him being easier to mobilize, dress and subsequently transfer.

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50-year-old man with whiplash pain

The man has neck-pain after a whiplash injury. The pain makes it difficult for him to find restfulness in his body, which affects his entire life situation. The man tries to sleep with the Protac Ball Blanket^® and subsequently experiences a greater sense of calmness in his body. His neck-pain is also reduced, and he experiences more energy to manage his daily chores.

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Man with dementia, anxiety and aggressiv behaviour

The elderly man opposes transfer, care and bathing situations, and the staff experience transfers and bathing as being abusive of him. The man accepts and enjoys the Protac Ball Blanket^® Flexible from the first night, and protests, as the night-shift caretaker mistakenly attempts to switch it with his regular duvet. After 2-3 weeks, the staff comments that the man is a completely different person. Transfer and bathing no longer give rise to aggressive behavior. He starts singing, looking in newspapers and after 2 months he gets up several times from his wheelchair and walks, which he has not done for an exceptionally long time.

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Woman with dementia (alcohol-related)

Protac Ball Blanket^® Flexible has changed the woman's everyday life. She has many more nights of uninterrupted sleep. She has gained a greater acceptance of her bed, where she used to think of the double bed at home. She is calmer and less aggressive towards her husband and the staff. She is easier to get to bed when it is bedtime. She is happier during the day, smiles more, and generally has more energy. She no longer wanders away from the care center to the same extent as before.

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13-year-old girl with spasms

"A thirteen-year-old girl, with spastic Cerebral Palsy has always woken up several times in the evening and at night because she has spasms and needs to be turned over. The mother says that at first glance she could not imagine laying the ball blanket over her little fragile daughter. “But, but, but… it's just lovely and good and relaxing and a whole lot more. Now she uses the blanket when she sits and relaxes in her beanbag chair - yes, in fact, she, little sister and I often sit under the blanket and relax together. Now I experience for the first time in her life that she sleeps from she is put to bed and until between midnight and 01.30 am. Of course, there are exceptions if she is sick or otherwise, but twice last week she has slept through the night. It was a strange experience that the alarm clock rang, and she had not been awake at all. Fantastic - there is only one reason for this and that is the Protac Ball Blanket^®! "

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9-year-old girl and mother with Tourette syndrome

Both my daughter and I have Tourettes Syndrome - the first night we had the Protac Ball Blanket^® Flexible, I wanted to try it myself, and did not have high expectations for it. I fell asleep in the most amazing way. It felt like I was quietly hovering down and landing softly. The next morning, I felt rested as I have rarely tried before. But the blanket was for my daughter, who has always been plagued by bad dreams and a sense of powerlessness over not being able to sleep well. After she has started sleeping with the Protac Ball Blanket^®, it only takes her approx. 15 minutes to fall asleep and she happily goes to bed with the certainty that the blanket will protect her against the bad dreams. She now sleeps all night and feels rested in the morning - she is so happy with her blanket.

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A psychiatric patient tells about his dependency of the Protac Ball Blanket^®

"I have a mental illness. I use the Protac Ball Blanket^® every night and sometimes during the day. Among other things, to gather myself, my thoughts, and my senses. They don’t always work well together. When I am hospitalized, I may end up in belt fixation, but it only lasts until I get my blanket. Then I fall asleep and am quickly released. I also use it when I’m aggressive or want to do destructive behavior, and it works every time. I did not need to get used to the blanket. Now I also have the Protac Ball Cushion^® so I can sit still. I would strongly recommend it as well. One might say that it helps you cuddle as if you were held by a parent when you were a child. However, it does not cause you to stay in this state. Thoughts are gathered and you can quietly find / sense yourself. And then move on. "

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Experiences with sensory integration at psychiatric hospital

The Protac Ball Blanket^® is used almost daily in our department. Patients experience that they can "feel themselves" better, that they become less anxious, less aggressive, and thus feel more secure. The use of the Protac Ball Blanket^® also means that we use less sedatives, and that we can shorten / limit fixation. We find that the blanket prevents and limits aggressive and destructive behavior. Many patients even ask for the blanket when they need it, and it therefore also becomes a kind of "self-help tool".

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6-year-old deaf-blind boy

The boy had a hard time finding rest when he went to bed at night. His body was constantly bombarded with sensory input that were hard to process. He tried sleeping with the Protac Ball Blanket^®. It swaddled his body and had a very calming effect on him. He now still wakes up occasionally at night, but the blanket causes him to fall asleep again and sleep all night, so he is rested the next day .

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10-year-old boy with sensory disturbances

“The first time he tried the Protac Ball Blanket^® we were going to see a movie in the evening. He always used to lie upside down on the sofa with his legs up and his head down towards the floor or move restlessly around on the sofa. With the Protac Ball Blanket^®, and he sat completely still and relaxed for the duration of the TV show. Over the next six months, we reversed the situation so that he had the energy and focus to master toileting skills and to almost keep himself free from conflicts in school. Previously, he ran into major conflicts, which he refused to get the adults' help to resolve, but we did not see them anymore as he began to sleep better. If there is a hard day at school, he lies under the blanket when he comes home - and calms down. He has the Protac Ball Blanket^® with him everywhere, and he sleeps with it every night. Now he sleeps peacefully all night and today he can tell us about the dreams he has had during the night. He never did that before.”

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Woman with fibromyaligia

I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and have tried Protac Ball Blanket^® Flexible. I use it when my body feels like it is about to fall apart from pain. It is good to have it draped over me, because it feels like my body is being held together. My muscles get warm, and it feels relaxing. I also use it on the floor where I roll into it or use it as a mattress. When I sit in a chair, I wrap the blanket around me, providing a good reading position, as I then can rest my arms on the blanket.

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12-year-old-boy with brain damage

Martin is 12 years old and has a brain injury. He was born prematurely and had several cerebral hemorrhages in the first 24 hours after birth. He is in family care. In addition, Martin is a neglected and emotionally traumatized child. This means, among other things, that Martin stiffens when hugged and withdraws from physical contact. He complains about it hurts when touched, for example if someone puts their hand on his shoulder. Martin goes to Occupational Therapy, where he works on getting to know his body and what it can and cannot do. When Martin’s Occupational Therapist, advised us to try out the Protac Ball Blanket^®. Before, Martin had an extremely hard time sleeping and calming down in the evening. He called out all the time, then he was thirsty, then he had to go to the bathroom, then it was hot, then it was cold, all the time there was something wrong. Since we got the blanket, Martin has slept within 2-3 min. after saying goodnight, he has even been fortunate enough to fall asleep in front of the television while watching cartoons. This was unthinkable before the blanket. Martin has benefited from getting this blanket and we hope we receive funding. Martin himself is very fond of the blanket and thinks it is wonderful. He also does not kick the blanket off anymore. He has become calmer. We are happy with the blanket and Martin loves it. It is still too early to say whether it will change his sense of touch.

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23-year-old veteran with severe PTSD

“The Protac Ball Blanket^® Flexible has balls that are a bit like large table tennis balls. The heavy and dynamic blanket envelopes the body, stimulates the senses, thus creating an increased body awareness and security. Before Casper started sleeping with the blanket, he woke up five to eight times each night and had many nightmares. Now that he has slept with the blanket for almost four months, he only rarely wakes up and his nightmares have ceased. He wakes up well rested and with much more energy. In fact, he has had a completely different sleep pattern than he has had in the last five years.”

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6-year-old boy with tendancy to be self destructive

From the moment the boy starts sleeping with the Protac Ball Blanket^® Flexible, his parents report that he sleeps an hour and a half longer in the morning and they experience him as calmer when he wakes up. He talks about the blanket and looks forward to being tucked in under it. He needs it with him when he spends the night elsewhere.

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63-year-old woman with Huntington Chorea disease

Our resident who has Huntington's Chorea says that she has constantly had an inner turmoil for several years. From a sensory perspective, this is also about her muscle fibers constantly contracting, and that the disease also causes perception disorders, amongst others in the perception of interoceptive sensation. This means that she is constantly on guard and feels tense. The motor restlessness therefore influences the mental restlessness. We experience that she feels secure when she feels that she is being positioned with supports surrounding her body and being proprioceptively stimulated. She therefore enjoys the Protac SenSit^® ball chair. The woman uses the chair if she needs to have quiet time or participate in a conversation. The woman is very conscious of when she needs the stimuli that the chair can provide. Furthermore, she sleeps with the Protac Ball Blanket^® at night. She explains that it gives her peace and that she relaxes as a result. She experiences an increased energy capacity after experiencing sensory integration strategies embedded in her everyday life, and a more positive affective state.

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