Bradford County is Florida's third-smallest county by land area, about 294 square miles of pine woods broken up by lakes and wetlands. Most people here live in or around four towns: Starke, the county seat with its historic downtown core, plus Lawtey, Hampton and Brooker.
The homes reflect a long farming history. You'll find modest small-town and farmhouse-style single-family houses, ranch-style homes and some split-level homes. Each of those layouts handles steps differently, so the right stair lift depends on the house in front of us, not on a catalog.
A two-story farmhouse-style house with one straight staircase is usually the simplest job. A straight rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, and it doesn't call for remodeling.
If the stairs turn at a landing or wrap around a corner, a curved rail is built to fit that specific staircase. It takes longer to make and install than a straight rail, so it helps to measure early.
Ranch-style homes are often on one floor, but that doesn't always mean no steps. The trouble spot can be the front porch, a back door or a few steps down to a carport or laundry area.
Split-level homes put short flights between every level. Sometimes one lift on the most-used flight solves the daily problem, and the other flights can wait.
Many small-town and farmhouse-style homes sit up off the ground with steps to the porch. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather, which matters in north-central Florida's heat and rain.
When a wheelchair user can't transfer to a seat, a platform lift may be the better fit for porch steps. We look at the step height, the space at the top and bottom, and how the person gets in and out of the house.
About 15.4 percent of Bradford County residents are 65 or older, and 62.1 percent of households own their homes. Owners can usually install a lift without asking a landlord, which keeps the process simple.
The Bradford County Veterans Service Office in Starke can help sort out VA benefits, and the nearest VA medical facility is the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, since there's no VA clinic inside the county.
No program listed here clearly pays for stair lifts, so it's worth knowing that up front. Medicaid long-term care in Florida covers home accessibility adaptations for eligible members, but its consumer description doesn't name stair lifts. The VA HISA grant specifically excludes them.
Elder Options, the area agency on aging for north central Florida, is a good first call to learn what local help exists. Statewide, families also ask about the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption. The program list below has phone numbers.
A Medicaid long-term care benefit for people who need nursing-facility level of care, meet Medicaid income and asset limits, and are enrolled in an SMMC LTC plan. Stair lifts are not named in AHCA's description of the benefit, so ask your plan directly; call (800) 963-5337.
A federal VA grant for medically justified structural changes to a veteran's home, with a lifetime cap that varies by service-connection status. HISA does not cover stair lifts, which it treats as removable equipment; call (800) 827-1000.
A referral and case-management agency serving older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers in 16 counties, including Bradford County. It has no published stair lift benefit, but staff can point you to available help; call (800) 262-2243 or the Gainesville office at (352) 378-6649.
Older adults
100 S.W. 75th St., Ste. 301, Gainesville, 32607
Veterans
925 North Temple Avenue, Suite E, Starke, 32091
Florida's SMMC LTC program covers home accessibility adaptations for eligible members, but AHCA's consumer description doesn't mention stair lifts. If you're enrolled in an SMMC LTC plan, ask the plan, or call (800) 963-5337.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides and stair lifts as removable equipment. The Bradford County Veterans Service Office at (904) 966-6385 can talk through other VA benefits.
There's no VA clinic in the county. The nearest VA medical facility is the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville. For help with paperwork, the county veterans office is at 925 North Temple Avenue, Suite E, in Starke.
Elder Options is the area agency on aging for Bradford County. Call (800) 262-2243 or the office at 100 S.W. 75th St., Ste. 301, in Gainesville at (352) 378-6649.
Yes. An outdoor stair lift is built for weather, and a platform lift can work when someone needs to stay in a wheelchair. Which one fits depends on the steps and space at your house.
Yes, this page covers homes across Bradford County, including all four towns. Contact us to set up a visit to measure your stairs.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
