Alison Starkey
PT MBA MHA CAPS CDP CFPS
Alison Starkey founded Gaitway of Charlotte in 2012. Originally from the United Kingdom, Alison completed her training at King's College London and then shortly after graduating, took a job in Ottawa, Canada at a regional trauma hospital. Alison made her way to the Carolinas by way of Boston Ma, where she worked at the prestigious Massachusetts General Hospital.
Alison worked at Carolinas Healthcare System/ Atrium for over 20 years in a number of positions but mostly at Carolinas Medical Center Main. Alison has also worked in Acute rehab, skilled nursing facilities, Assisted Living Facilities and Home Health over the course of her career.
Alison gained her MBA/MHA from Pfeiffer University. She also holds a CAPS "Certified Aging in Place Specialist", a CDP "Certified Dementia Practitioner, and a CFPS "Certified Fall Prevention Specialist" certifications.
Since launching Gaitway of Charlotte, Alison has enjoyed the challenge of doing the very best for each client that we serve. As Federal and private insurance programs continue to cut the services offered to the public, we continue to expand our impact with diversification of our service line, expanding the regions we serve and providing the very best customer experience possible.
Alison continues to be active in the community. She is a long-time member of the Centralina Falls Coalition, is an active Volunteer and Community Educator for the Alzheimer's Association as well as supporting her children's schools where she is currently the Chairman of the School Leadership team at Northwest School of the Arts.
Alison enjoys a wide variety of patient care but has special expertise in the treatment of medically complex and neurological injuries such as stroke, TBI, SCI and others. Balancing medical challenges with a successful treatment plan is what she does best!
In her spare time, Alison enjoys spending time with her husband and three teenagers as well as the movies and eating out with friends.
Kelly Schrader
PT
Kelly Schrader has been with Gaitway of Charlotte for 3+ years. Kelly has over 35 years of experience in the field of physical therapy. Kelly has experience in home health, long term care facilities and outpatient rehab. Kelly has a passion for treating patients with balance dysfunction, vestibular disorders including experience with BPPV treatment. Kelly is passionate about getting patients to their goal and returning to the previous level of mobility.
Kelly is a 1989 graduate of Alvernia University as a PT Assistant followed by graduatin from SUNY Buffalo in 1996 as a PT. She lives in Charlotte with her husband, son, daughter and dog, Milo. She enjoys traveling around the world (recently Switzerland!) and getting away for a weekend of fun in the mountains.
Cynthia Kirkwood
OTR/L
Cindy received her bachelor's degree of Kinesiology in 2000 from Penn State University. She worked as an Athletic Trainer before going back to school and graduating in 2004 with a master's in Occupational Therapy at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has worked over 11 years in skilled nursing, gaining extensive experience in treatments for neurological disorders, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and COPD. She has also worked in home health / outpatient services for almost 6 years treating patients and educating caregivers in the home and assisted living facilities. She enjoys working with older adults and patients with dementia. She is proficient in the Allen Cognitive Level Screen Assessment. The assessment allows her to assist patients, families, and caregivers identify functional abilities and strengths when safety deficits interfere with self-care independence and quality of life. In her personal time, she enjoys quality time with her family, traveling, exercising, and spending time outdoors.
Jodi Schilian
SLP
Jodi's ompassion and expertise in speech and swallowing disorders have made her an invaluable asset. With a rich background in adult care, Jodi specializes in “augmentative communication solutions”. These innovative devices aid individuals with limited communication abilities much like the technology used by the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking.
Jodi’s expertise is particularly beneficial for clients with neurological disorders, such as expressive aphasia, dysphagia, traumatic brain injury or post-brain surgery conditions. Additionally, her skills extend to assisting those unable to communicate due to surgical interventions, such as cancer resections. Jodi can also update therapeutic diets in clients that are no longer receiving active speech therapy but wish to see if their current diet is appropriate. Outside of work, Jodi enjoys traveling, listening to music, and spending time with her family and friends. She is a proud parent of two daughters, balancing professional dedication with a nurturing family life.
Melinda Benner
PTA, CDP
Melinda graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science in Recreational Therapy in 2011 then returned to Martin Community College to received her Associate Degree in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program in 2014. Melinda has experience in Home Health, Outpatient Setting, Orthopedics, School systems and pediatrics throughout the last 8 years and became a Certified Dementia Practitioner in 2021. Melinda is married with 2 small children, Harper and Hudson, and a sweet 14 year old dog named Kirra residing in Fort Mill, SC. Melinda has a passion for helping others to gain their independence back to increase quality of life!
Brook Machin
O TR/L
Brook graduated from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA in 2013 with a Master’s in Occupational Therapy. She moved to Charlotte with her husband, where she worked in acute care for 7 years. Working in acute care gained her extensive knowledge and experience in surgical and orthopedic trauma, neurological accidents and disorders, oncology, and general medical surgeries. After taking time off to focus on her family, she began working for Gaitway where she has been for the past 2.5 years. She loves the close-knit community she shares with her colleagues, ability to practice freely within her scope of practice while seeing multiple diagnoses and building relationships with her clients.
In her spare time, she teaches prenatal yoga, is active in her church and loves being outside with her 2 young boys and husband.
Jennifer Battaglia PT
Jennifer is a New York native who graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science in 1991. She then continued her education at Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, where she earned her combined Bachelor of Science and Masters of Physical Therapy in 1995.
Prior to moving to North Carolina, Jennifer provided inpatient Physical Therapy at the prominent New York Presbyterian Hospital in NYC for patients with various, neurological, medical and surgical diagnoses, with a special interest in the medically complex patient. She also served as the supervisor of the Acute Care department.
Prior to joining our team, Jennifer has enjoyed working with both the pediatric and adult populations in the home care setting. She particularly enjoys assisting her patients in maximizing their independence in the home and the community.
Jennifer lives with her husband and 2 teenage children. When she’s not at work, she enjoys working out, Broadway musicals, going to the beach with her family, and traveling back to her beloved NYC. She is also a dedicated figure skating mom and mom to 3 cats.
Annie Abbott
CCC-SLP
Annie Abbott is a speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience. Raised in upstate New York, she earned her bachelor's degree from SUNY Cortland and her master's degree in speech-language pathology from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
Abbott is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Her experience spans both adult and pediatric populations, encompassing various settings such as skilled nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, hospitals, and home health.
Her areas of specialty include voice treatment, particularly LSVT for Parkinson's disease patients. She is also skilled in dysphagia assessment and treatment, including FEES. Additionally, Abbott has experience working with individuals with cognitive deficits or impairments, developing strategies to maintain independence.
Since moving to North Carolina in 2013, Abbott has enjoyed the state's lifestyle, pursuing hobbies like gardening, walking, hiking, cooking, and spending time with loved ones.
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