Yes. This will help recharge the batteries and help the faculty member learn new methodologies as well as areas of research if they locate to another univeristy or institution for the period of the sabbatical. Even if they stay home they will benefit.
I think the academic sabbatical could brings many advantages: time to think, to read, to write and to make new contacts. And perhaps one of the most important points of a sabbatical is to be in a position to take a step back and think about one's career, one's research and one's life.