Benchmark Senior Living at Robbins Brook Caregiver Receives Annual Compassionate Caregiver Award
John Njihia, CNA and Dracut, Mass., Resident, Honored for Elevating Human Connection at Acton Assisted Living Community
Benchmark (www.benchmarkseniorliving.com), a human connection company and leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, today announced that John Njihia, CNA, a resident care associate at Benchmark Senior Living at Robbins Brook, an assisted living and memory care community in Acton, Mass., has received the company’s highest honor, the Benchmark Compassionate Caregiver Award for 2018.
Each year, Benchmark asks residents and families to nominate a caregiver to be honored. Over 450 nominations were submitted this year, and some caregivers, including Njihia, received more than one nomination.
At Benchmark’s 17th Annual Awards Gala held on March 28, 2019, Njihia was selected out of over 6,400 associates for best fulfilling the company’s mission to deeply understand people, meet them where they are, and connect them to what’s meaningful and possible at every stage of their life. Njihia was honored for exhibiting extraordinary compassion and generosity in delivering the best care for the community’s residents, exemplifying what it means to be Called to Care for residents and their families.
Family members hailed Njihia for the difference he’s made in the lives of their loved ones. One resident’s daughter, in particular, praised his thoroughness in helping to get her mother diagnosed with breast cancer. The subsequent treatment added significant time and quality to her life. Another daughter, whose parents have both been cared for by Njihia, praised him for being attentive, a great listener and a joyful presence, always with a kind word, story or suggestion to share. Her mother’s connection with Njihia is so great, she was even inspired to learn his native language of Swahili.
Originally from Kenya, Njihia got into caregiving because he loves taking care of people. He has served as a resident care associate at Robbins Brook for 17 years. Njihia is a devout Christian who serves as a deacon for his church. He and his wife live in Dracut, Mass., and have four children.
“I am so grateful for the work that John and all of our associates do every single day to elevate human connection,” says Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark. “Our annual awards gala is the highlight of my year because it’s an opportunity for all of us to come together to celebrate our communities and associates who sincerely live our company mission, vision and values. This year’s award winners are truly exemplary, and I could not be prouder of all we have accomplished together.”
About Benchmark
Based in Waltham, Mass., Benchmark is a leading provider of senior housing in the Northeast with 6,400 associates and 58 communities. Founded in 1997 by Tom Grape, Benchmark offers independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s care and skilled nursing in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The organization was selected by FORTUNE magazine for its inaugural 2018 Best Workplaces for Aging Services list, taking the number 16 spot on the list of top 40 aging services companies and ranking number three among companies with more than 40 communities. Benchmark is one of only six companies named to The Boston Globe Top Places to Work list every year of the 11 years it has been published. And it has been consistently recognized by Boston Business Journal, Hartford Courant and Hartford Business Journal as a top workplace, and by the Boston Business Journal, Providence Business News and Hartford Business Journal as one of the healthiest employers. Click here for more information.
Press Contact: Carol Arnold, Arnold Communications, carol@arnoldcomm.com, (603) 502-0469.
Benchmark Senior Living at Robbins Brook
