A system for supporting a person, comprising: a movable support unit operatively associated with and moveable along or relative to a support system, the movable support unit being movable along a path; at least a first drive associated with the movable support unit, said first drive moving the support along the path; an actuator attached to the movable support unit, said actuator including a second drive for driving a rotatable drum, said drum having a first end of a strap attached thereto, said strap wound in an overlapping coil fashion about an outer surface of the drum, and a second end of the strap being coupled to a support harness attached to support the person; a first sensor configured to measure a magnitude and a direction of a horizontal force applied to the movable support unit via the strap; a second sensor configured to measure, as a tensile force, at least a magnitude of a vertical force applied to the strap; and a control system configured to receive signals from the first and second sensors (450, 460), and a user interface, the control system configured to control, in response to the received signals, the movement of at least the first and second drives to facilitate the support during movement of the person, where the control system, in combination with at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor, and in combination with a user interface, provides dynamic fall protection wherein upon sensing a fall as a change in the output from one of the first sensor and the second sensor the control system dynamically adjusts the vertical force applied to the person via the strap, the drum and the second drive where the control system further includes selectable dynamic fall prevention sensitivity levels to alter the amount of change in force sensed by at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor necessary to trigger the dynamic fall prevention and prevent a fall by preventing further movement of at least the second drive to inhibit the person's movement in the downward direction; and a database for storing data representative of the operation of the system, said database being associated with the control system and where the user interface directs queries to said database, said system providing, in response to a query, at least one report selected from the group consisting of: a patient record, task outcomes, session outcomes, and historical comparisons. a movable support unit operatively associated with and moveable along or relative to a support system, the movable support unit being movable along a path; at least a first drive associated with the movable support unit, said first drive moving the support along the path; an actuator attached to the movable support unit, said actuator including a second drive for driving a rotatable drum, said drum having a first end of a strap attached thereto, said strap wound in an overlapping coil fashion about an outer surface of the drum, and a second end of the strap being coupled to a support harness attached to support the person; a first sensor configured to measure a magnitude and a direction of a horizontal force applied to the movable support unit via the strap; a second sensor configured to measure, as a tensile force, at least a magnitude of a vertical force applied to the strap; and a control system configured to receive signals from the first and second sensors (450, 460), and a user interface, the control system configured to control, in response to the received signals, the movement of at least the first and second drives to facilitate the support during movement of the person, where the control system, in combination with at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor, and in combination with a user interface, provides dynamic fall protection wherein upon sensing a fall as a change in the output from one of the first sensor and the second sensor the control system dynamically adjusts the vertical force applied to the person via the strap, the drum and the second drive where the control system further includes selectable dynamic fall prevention sensitivity levels to alter the amount of change in force sensed by at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor necessary to trigger the dynamic fall prevention and prevent a fall by preventing further movement of at least the second drive to inhibit the person's movement in the downward direction; and a database for storing data representative of the operation of the system, said database being associated with the control system and where the user interface directs queries to said database, said system providing, in response to a query, at least one report selected from the group consisting of: a patient record, task outcomes, session outcomes, and historical comparisons.