From Reactive to Proactive Care: Static vs Dynamic Fall Prevention (and Where cogvis Fits)

The real issue with falls isn’t just “falls”

In care settings, a fall is usually the final moment in a chain of events:

• someone becomes restless,
• tries to stand without support,
• exits the bed at an unsafe time,
• gets disoriented on the way to the bathroom,
• and only then—impact.

If your systems only react at the end of that chain, you’re stuck doing after-the-fact care.

That’s why it helps to separate two concepts that often get blended together:

1. Reactive vs proactive care
2. Static vs dynamic fall prevention

Once you see the difference, it becomes much clearer how to choose the right technology and workflow.

Reactive care vs proactive care (simple definitions)

Reactive care is what happens after the risk event occurs.
Examples:

• Fall detection alerts after an incident
• Reviewing what happened so you can document and respond
• Escalating care plans based on repeated incidents

Reactive care matters. Fast response can reduce complications and improve outcomes. But it doesn’t stop the fall from happening.

Proactive care is what happens before the incident—when there’s still time to intervene.
Examples:

• Getting alerted when a person begins a risky bed exit
• Identifying patterns like repeated night-time attempts to stand
• Triggering early warnings during “high-risk moments,” not just “impact moments”

Proactive care is about preventing the fall, not just detecting it.

Static fall prevention vs dynamic fall prevention

Now the second distinction:

Static fall prevention

“Static” doesn’t mean bad—it means the prevention approach is mostly fixed and doesn’t change minute-to-minute.

Examples of static measures:

• grab bars, non-slip flooring, better lighting
• mobility aids, footwear programs
• fall risk scores done periodically
• scheduled rounding (“check every 2 hours”)
• general bed rails policies, signage, standard protocols

Static measures are essential. They create a safer baseline.

But static measures struggle with one reality:
risk isn’t constant. It spikes and drops based on time of day, medication timing, fatigue, confusion, staffing ratios, and individual behavior.

Dynamic fall prevention

Dynamic prevention adapts based on what’s happening right now.

Examples of dynamic approaches:

• real-time detection of bed exit behavior
• configurable alert windows (e.g., higher sensitivity overnight)
• individualized settings by resident/patient
• risk profiles that shift based on observed patterns
• event visualization that helps staff quickly interpret what happened and respond appropriately

Dynamic prevention doesn’t replace good care practice—it strengthens it by helping staff focus attention when it’s most needed.

Where cogvis fits: a bridge from reactive to proactive (and beyond)

One useful thing about cogvis is that it explicitly frames support levels in a way that matches how care teams think:

• Reactive safety (respond fast when something happens)
• Proactive safety (intervene before the fall)
• Predictive safety (use deeper patterns to guide care decisions)

On the cogvis product page, these safety tiers are shown with typical included capabilities. For example:

• Reactive safety includes things like fall detection, fall analysis, and absence detection.
• Proactive safety adds fall prevention features such as a virtual bed beam, virtual room beam, and an integrated night light.
• Predictive safety adds additional modules aimed at deeper care insights (for example restlessness and other advanced indicators).

That tiering is helpful because it maps directly to your maturity level: many facilities start reactive, then move toward proactive once workflows are stable.

What makes cogvis “dynamic” in practice

Dynamic prevention requires three things to be true:

1) Real-time sensing (not a periodic snapshot)

cogvis is built around a 3D infrared sensor that analyzes movement in real time. That real-time layer is what enables earlier alerts during risk moments (like standing up, sitting up, or bed exit behavior) instead of only after impact.

2) Configurable workflows by person, room, and time

Dynamic prevention also means you’re not stuck with one sensitivity level for everyone.

The cogvis platform is positioned around per-room/per-person configuration—things like setting alarm times, creating risk profiles, and managing active rooms—so you can match alerts to real operational needs (especially at night).

3) Fast understanding for staff: “Interpretability” matters

One reason tech fails in care settings is alert fatigue. If staff can’t quickly understand why something triggered, trust breaks down.

cogvis leans into event visualization built from depth data so staff can immediately interpret whether it was a fall, bed exit, or absence—without needing camera footage.

A practical way to roll this out (without overwhelming staff)

If you’re trying to move from static → dynamic, or reactive → proactive, here’s a clean rollout path that usually works:

1. Start with a small group
   Choose the highest-risk rooms or residents/patients first.
2. Tune alert times before tuning sensitivity
   Most false alarms come from “wrong time window,” not “bad detection.”
3. Use event review to improve care plans
   Look for repeat patterns: same time of night, same route, same trigger behavior.
4. Move from reactive to proactive features intentionally
   Once staff trusts the alerts and documentation flow, add early-warning behaviors (like bed exit prevention).
5. Measure workload impact, not just fall counts
   The best dynamic systems reduce unnecessary checks while increasing timely interventions.

The takeaway

• Static fall prevention builds the safer baseline.
• Dynamic fall prevention helps you act in the moments when risk spikes.
• Reactive care is response and documentation after events.
• Proactive care is intervention before the fall.

cogvis fits into this shift by supporting reactive workflows (detect/alert/analyze) and proactive workflows (prevent/early warn), with real-time sensing and configurable care operations.

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