A tragic incident involving the death of an elderly woman has led to a lawsuit against a healthcare service provider and one of its employees. On August 7, 2024, Ramona Pereira-Chakka filed a complaint in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, accusing Shadai Healthcare Services LLC and its employee Folake Sowami of negligence that resulted in the death of her mother, Rosinha Pereira.
According to the complaint, Rosinha Pereira was a 71-year-old woman suffering from Parkinson's Disease, which caused frequent medication-induced hallucinations and disorientation. In 2021, Ramona hired Shadai Healthcare Services through UPMC Community HealthChoices to provide in-home companion care for her mother. The complaint alleges that on October 3rd and 4th, 2023, Folake Sowami was assigned to an overnight shift to care for Ms. Pereira but failed in her duties.
The lawsuit details that during her shift, Sowami allowed Ms. Pereira to leave her bedroom unaccompanied to use the restroom and then neglected to check on her for several hours. Ms. Pereira wandered outside and fell into a hot tub where she drowned. An autopsy performed on October 5th confirmed freshwater drowning as the cause of death and ruled it a homicide due to neglect.
Ramona had previously complained about poor care provided by Shadai Healthcare’s employees and had requested a formal "Plan of Care" which required caregivers to stay awake at night and monitor Ms. Pereira closely. Despite these measures, the lawsuit claims that Sowami did not adhere to this plan on the night of the incident.
The plaintiff is seeking judgment against both defendants for negligence leading to wrongful death under Pennsylvania law. She demands compensation exceeding $50,000 for each count cited in the lawsuit including funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and punitive damages for willful neglect.
Attorneys Christopher J. Marzzacco and Jordan A. Marzzacco from Marzzacco Niven & Associates represent Ramona Pereira-Chakka in this case.