Lake County is not flat Florida. The county sits atop the Lake Wales Ridge, has over 1,000 lakes, and holds Sugarloaf Mountain, which at 312 ft is the highest natural point on the Florida peninsula. Those rolling hills shape a lot of homes in Clermont, Minneola, Montverde, Mount Dora and Howey-in-the-Hills, where a house can have steps at the front door, steps down to the lake, or a second floor tucked into a slope.
Across the county's 25 towns, housing runs from older lakefront cottages and ranch homes in former citrus-grove towns to large age-restricted retirement developments, including the part of The Villages that extends into Lake County near Lady Lake. This page walks through which kind of stair lift tends to fit which kind of home here, and which programs are worth a phone call when you start figuring out the cost.
About 26.6 percent of Lake County's 228,542 residents are 65 or older. That is roughly one in four people, so many families in Leesburg, Eustis, Tavares and the surrounding towns are already having the conversation about getting a parent safely up and down the stairs.
Ownership matters for this decision too. About 72.2 percent of households here own their home, which usually means the family can decide on an installation without waiting on a landlord. If your parent rents, the owner should agree before anything is mounted to the stairs.
Single-family homes and townhouses with one straight flight are the simplest case. A straight stair lift runs on a rail fastened to the stair treads, not the wall, and it is usually the lowest-cost option.
Split-level homes are different. They often have two or three short flights instead of one long one, so you may need more than one straight lift or a curved rail that follows a turn. We measure each run before recommending anything.
Ranch-style homes and many units in age-restricted developments are single-story inside, but that does not always mean step-free. Look at the garage entry, the front porch and any sunken rooms. Walk-up apartments raise a separate question: the stairs are often shared, so the building owner or association has to sign off.
The Lake Wales Ridge gives the county slopes you rarely see elsewhere in Florida. On a hillside lot, the hardest stairs may be outside, between the driveway and the door, or from the back deck down to the yard.
Lakefront cottages often have exterior steps leading toward the water. For those, an outdoor-rated stair lift built for weather exposure is the right category. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a few steps, a vertical platform lift can be a better fit than a seat on a rail.
The closest VA care point listed for the county is the Leesburg VA Clinic (CBOC, VA Orlando Health Care) in Leesburg.
Lake County Veterans Services is at 1996 Classique Lane, Tavares, FL 32778, phone (352) 742-6585. A service officer there can help sort out which VA benefits apply before you buy anything.
No program listed for Lake County clearly names stair lifts as a covered item, so plan on asking specific questions. Medicaid managed care long-term care may cover some home accessibility changes, the VA HISA grant excludes stair lifts, and Elder Options can point you to local resources.
Other statewide options worth asking about include VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program, and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption. Details on each program are below.
A Florida Medicaid benefit for people who meet nursing-facility level of care, meet Medicaid LTC income and asset limits, and are enrolled in an SMMC LTC plan; the state names grab bars and special toilet seats as examples, excludes major changes, and does not list stair lifts. Call (800) 963-5337 to ask about eligibility.
A VA benefit for medically justified structural changes for veterans with a qualifying condition, with a lifetime cap set by VA regulation. HISA does not cover stair lifts, which it treats as removable equipment; call (800) 827-1000 with questions.
The Area Agency on Aging and Elder Helpline for Lake County, mainly offering information, referral and case management for older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers; whether it can help with a stair lift is unknown. Call (800) 262-2243.
Older adults
100 S.W. 75th St., Ste. 301, Gainesville, 32607
Veterans
1996 Classique Lane, Tavares, 32778
It is not clear. The SMMC LTC Home Accessibility Adaptation benefit names items like grab bars and special toilet seats, excludes major changes, and does not list stair lifts. Call (800) 963-5337 and ask your plan directly.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair lifts as removable equipment. Lake County Veterans Services in Tavares at (352) 742-6585 can help you look at other VA options.
Elder Options is the Area Agency on Aging for Lake County. The Elder Helpline is (800) 262-2243, and the office in Gainesville is at 100 S.W. 75th St., Ste. 301, phone (352) 378-6649.
Not always. Split-level homes often have several short flights, which can sometimes be handled with straight lifts. A measurement of each run tells you which option fits.
Yes, outdoor-rated stair lifts are made for exterior steps like those at many lakefront cottages. For a wheelchair user, a vertical platform lift may suit a short rise better.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
