Before Katie Skolsky began visiting her, 83-year-old Frances Jackson spent long days with her thoughts and chronic pain. Being homebound made life feel smaller, and the passing of close friends weighed heavily.
Today, Frances said she has “far fewer pity parties,” a change she credited to her weekly sessions with Skolsky, director of NewBridge at Home. The program provides free, in-home counseling to older adults in Morris County who are homebound and struggling with depression, anxiety or loneliness, and support for family caregivers.
Their conversations have helped Frances feel understood. “Katie doesn’t push me,” Frances said. “She pulls things out of me.”
Frances has received in-home counseling since late 2024. She was referred by the visiting registered nurse from NewBridge Senior Assistance for Independent Living (SAIL).
“What I appreciate a lot about my visits with Katie — this is between me and Katie,” she said, confident their conversations are private.
“She lets me know I can get through things,” added the longtime Morristown resident, who spent 33 years working as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital before retiring in 1996 due to back pain.
Skolsky said a key part of her work is helping clients shift perspective. When people focus on what they can still do, she said, “you forget about all the things you can’t.”
When tending a flower garden became too much, Skolsky suggested Frances keep flowers on the porch — most of them artificial but realistic. And while her planting years may be behind her, Frances can still share her gardening expertise with family members.
Frances said her quality of life is better, and she plans to continue the sessions “as long as she’ll put up with me,” she said with a smile. “I never had something like this.”
NewBridge at Home receives financial support from the Morris County Board of County Commissioners. To help sustain this program and others, please visit newbridge.org/donate.
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