Well-being check saves 77-year-old woman who fell in her home

A 77-year-old woman who lives alone near Lake Villa fell in her home Thursday and might have died were it not for the Lake County sheriff's well-being check program, officials said Friday.

The woman, who is expected to recover from the injuries she sustained in the fall and being on the ground 18 to 24 hours, is part of the R.U.O.K. program for people who do not have family members or friends to regularly check in on them, Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Friday.

Deputy Katie Gordon, who regularly calls to check in with R.U.O.K. clients, requested her colleagues do a well-being check after she was unable to reach the woman Friday.

Deputies Trish List and Jessica Fill went to the woman's home, and when she did not answer the door, officers got a key, entered the home and found the woman on the floor. The woman was confused and unable to move, officials said, so List and Fill called an ambulance.

Sheriff John Idleburg said the deputies undoubtedly saved the woman's life.

"This is not the first time the R.U.O.K. program saved a life, and I am very proud of everyone who has a role in the program," Idleburg said.

For more information about the program, call (847) 377-4200 or visit www.lakecountyil.gov/596/RUOK-Personal-Wellness-Check.