The Light Within: A Monthly Human Worth Knowing
Sage – Employee of the Week
Sara Benbassat – Morning Receptionist
Sara works as our receptionist each morning and is generally the first person that visitors to Sage encounter when they come into the building. She greets everyone with her warm, friendly and helpful smile.
Apart from her reception work, Sara has been dealing with our online social media presence running both our Facebook and Instagram accounts to raise the profile of Sage and to get us out into the online social market, something we had been previously missing. She continually and daily updates our online accounts to ensure that everyone is aware of the daily happenings at Sage. This not only raises the awareness of the home but brings in volunteers. Sara has also initiated a newsletter to keep residents, relatives and supporters informed and updated. This is sourced and produced solely by Sara and has been a welcomed new initiative for some time.
Once a week Sara runs a multi-sensory activity for the residents living with dementia. This is extremely successful and often leads to unexpected conversations, singing and storytelling by some of our residents who are usually not connected. Sara is always looking for new and inventive objects to use in these sessions.
Sara was one of the driving forces in arranging a pre-Chanukah/Christmas fair, where we invited and collaborated with local business’s, who set up shop in Sage and displayed their wares, the community came in their dozens, and it was extremely successful, both financially in raising funds for Sage and for the businesses who exhibited their wares. It proved so popular that we had to turn away businesses wishing to take part.
Sara’s latest project is to be organising a sponsored walk; to date we have 7 local primary schools signed with over 600 sponsorship forms having been sent out. This will take place in July starting at Sage and then walking around the local area and park, before ending in refreshments and entertainment in the Sage gardens.
Reem – The Warrior in a Wheelchair:
ALS may have slowed her body, but her poetry moves mountains. From her window, Reem writes verses about love, resistance, and birds she names from memory. She’s published three zines using eye-tracking software and coffee-fueled defiance.
Henry – The Silent Listener:
Henry doesn’t speak—but he hears everything. From his assisted living room, he calls old friends just to let them talk. “You don’t need words to be present,” he types slowly, “you just need to show up.”
Lila – Queen of the Courtyard:
Paralyzed from the waist down since childhood, Lila sits by the apartment’s dusty courtyard every morning. She knows every dog’s name, every kid’s birthday, and every adult’s secrets (don’t ask how). People come to her not for advice—but for clarity.
