Putnam County stretches across 827 square miles, and 99 of those are water. Palatka, the county seat, sits on the St. Johns River, one of the few rivers in the world that flows north. Around it are Crescent City, Interlachen, East Palatka, Welaka and Pomona Park, each with its own mix of houses and staircases.
That mix matters when you are thinking about a stair lift. A tall, turning staircase in a Palatka Victorian calls for a different lift than a few steps up to a ranch-style house. This page walks through what we see in local homes, what it means for the type of lift, and where to look for help paying for one.
Palatka's South Historic District is a 23-block National Register district of 243 buildings along the St. Johns River. Most of them are 2 to 2.5-story frame Victorian, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes built from the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Staircases in homes of this style often turn at a landing or wind around a corner. When a staircase turns, a curved stair lift is usually the answer, since the rail is built to follow that exact path. If the stairs run in one straight flight, a straight lift is simpler and faster to install.
Before anything is ordered, we measure the stairs, check the width and look at where the rail can attach. In an older frame house, that visit tells us what will fit without changing the character of the staircase.
Much of the county's housing is single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes and low-rise buildings. A ranch-style home may have no indoor stairs at all, but there can still be steps at the front door, the back porch or the garage.
For those exterior steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure is one option. Where someone uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. In a low-rise building, the shared stairwell and who owns it are the first things to sort out.
About 23.5 percent of residents are 65 or older, and 57.2 percent own their homes. For many of those homeowners, staying put means making the stairs safe rather than moving.
The Palatka VA Clinic serves veterans locally, and Putnam County Veterans Services on Crill Avenue in Palatka can help with benefit questions at (386) 329-0328.
There is no single program that simply pays for stair lifts here, so it helps to know what each option does. Florida Medicaid's SMMC Long-Term Care Program includes a service called Home Accessibility Adaptation, but whether a stair lift is approved is decided case by case by the plan's care manager.
The VA HISA grant helps with home changes for veterans, but the VA excludes stair glides, meaning stair lifts, from HISA. Veterans should still ask Putnam County Veterans Services about other VA benefits.
Elder Options, the Area Agency on Aging for this region, does not fund home modifications directly but can point callers to SMMC LTC and other services. Statewide, you may also want to look into the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption. Details for each program are listed below.
Florida Medicaid managed care for people 65 and older, or 18 and older with a qualifying disability, who meet financial rules and are assessed through CARES as needing nursing-facility level of care. Home Accessibility Adaptation is a required plan service, but stair lifts are not listed by name and are decided case by case by the plan's care manager.
A national VA benefit for veterans with a service-connected or non-service-connected disability, covering home improvements the VA prescribes as medically necessary. The VA prosthetics site excludes stair glides (stair lifts), so HISA does not cover them; Putnam County Veterans Services can be reached at (386) 329-0328.
The information and referral center for a 16-county North Central Florida area that includes Putnam County, offering SMMC LTC options counseling. It does not directly fund home modifications or list stair lifts, but it refers callers to SMMC LTC and other services; call (800) 262-2243 or the Gainesville office at (352) 378-6649.
Older adults
100 S.W. 75th St., Ste. 301, Gainesville, 32607
Veterans
2509 Crill Avenue, Suite 800, Palatka, 32177
Often, yes. Many homes in the South Historic District are 2 to 2.5-story frame houses whose stairs may turn or have a landing, which usually means a curved lift made to fit that staircase. A measurement visit confirms what will fit.
It may, but it is not guaranteed. The SMMC Long-Term Care Program includes Home Accessibility Adaptation, and the plan's care manager decides case by case whether a stair lift qualifies. You must be 65 or older, or 18 or older with a qualifying disability, and meet the program's other requirements.
No. The VA excludes stair glides, which are stair lifts, from HISA. Putnam County Veterans Services in Palatka at (386) 329-0328 can talk through other VA benefits.
Elder Options, the Area Agency on Aging for PSA 3, is a good first call at (800) 262-2243 or (352) 378-6649. Its office is at 100 S.W. 75th St., Ste. 301, Gainesville 32607. It can explain SMMC LTC and refer you to other services.
Yes. An outdoor stair lift is designed for exterior steps, and a platform lift is an option if a wheelchair needs to go up and down. We look at the steps and the space around them before recommending one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
