Around the courthouse square in Jefferson, many of the older in-town homes have two full stories and a staircase that was never built with a lift in mind. A few miles out, in Braselton, Hoschton and Commerce, newer subdivisions keep going up, with townhouses and split-level homes that bring their own stair layouts.
We install stair lifts across all nine towns we serve in Jackson County, including Pendergrass, Nicholson, Maysville, Arcade and Talmo. This page covers how local homes and land affect the kind of lift you need, and which programs a Jackson County household can call about cost.
Jefferson was incorporated as a town in 1806, and its historic core still holds older two-story homes. These houses often have one long flight between floors. When that flight runs straight from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit.
Older staircases sometimes turn at a landing or narrow near the top. In that case a curved lift, built to follow the rail line of your stairs, is the answer. We measure in person so the rail clears doorways and the bottom step.
The new construction going up around Jefferson and the rest of the county tends to have more standard stairs. That usually makes a straight lift easier to place, though a turn at a landing still calls for a curved rail.
Split-level homes are common in parts of the county. Instead of one long flight, they have short runs of stairs between levels. Each short run can take its own straight lift, so you only put a lift where it is needed most, such as the run up to the bedrooms.
Townhouses often stack living space over two or three floors. If the stairs switch back between floors, a curved lift can carry someone past the turn without a second transfer. We look at where the person spends the day before suggesting which flights to cover.
Jackson County covers 343 square miles of Georgia Piedmont in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin, and 62.8% of residents lived in rural areas as of the 2020 Census. The ground is gently rolling, with the Middle Oconee River along Jefferson's western edge and Curry Creek just east of downtown.
On a country lot, the hardest stairs are often outside: porch steps, a deck, or a raised entry. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather. For a wheelchair user who cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift may make more sense than a chair.
The Georgia Department of Veterans Service - Athens Veterans Field Service Office at 9249 U.S. Highway 29 in Athens can be reached at (706) 733-0188.
Roughly 75.3% of households here own their home. That matters because several grant programs, including the VA Specially Adapted Housing grant, are tied to owning the home being modified.
Most help in this county starts with one phone call to the Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging at (866) 552-4464. Its staff screen older adults and adults with disabilities and refer them to Medicaid waivers and other services. You can also reach the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission AAA office at 305 Research Drive in Athens at (706) 583-2546.
Only two programs listed here name home modifications as a covered service: the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) for Medicaid members ages 21 to 64, and Community Transitions for people moving home from a nursing home. Neither names stair lifts specifically, so ask whether a lift counts under your care plan.
For veterans, the VA HISA benefit specifically excludes stair glides. Other statewide programs worth asking about include the Home Access Program and the Credit-Able Loan Program. Each program is described below.
A no-fee screening and referral service for older adults and adults with disabilities in a 12-county area that includes Jackson County; it is the entry point to Medicaid waivers, and its sources do not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (866) 552-4464.
A Georgia Medicaid waiver that helps people who need a nursing-home level of care stay at home, with services like adult day health and home-delivered meals; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed among its services. Apply through the Northeast Georgia AAA at (866) 552-4464.
A Medicaid waiver for frail elderly and physically disabled Georgians with full Medicaid and a nursing-home level of care, covering services such as personal support and home health; stair lifts and home modifications are not mentioned. Call (866) 552-4464.
A Medicaid waiver for members ages 21 to 64 with a severe physical impairment or traumatic brain injury that covers medically necessary physical adaptations to the home; stair lifts are not named, so confirm with Alliant whether one qualifies under your care plan. Call (888) 669-7195.
Helps Medicaid recipients who have lived in a nursing home or other institution for at least three months move back home, and Environmental Modifications is one of its listed services, though stair lifts are not named. Call (800) 474-7540.
A VA benefit for medically necessary home accessibility changes, with a lifetime maximum of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status; it explicitly excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe disabilities to modify a permanent home, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA, usable up to 6 times over a lifetime; the VA source gives ramps and wider doorways as examples and does not mention stair lifts.
The independent living center serving people with disabilities in Jackson County, located at 125 Athens Parkway West in Athens; whether it funds or refers for stair lifts is not listed, so call (706) 850-4025 to ask.
Older adults
305 Research Drive, Athens, 30605
Veterans
9249 U.S. Highway 29, Athens, 30601
Start with the Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging at (866) 552-4464. It screens residents and refers them to programs such as CCSP, SOURCE and ICWP.
Not through HISA, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants cover permanent home adaptations but do not mention stair lifts, so ask the Athens Veterans Field Service Office at (706) 733-0188.
Yes, the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) serves Medicaid members ages 21 to 64 with a severe physical impairment or traumatic brain injury. It covers medically necessary physical adaptations to the home, and you can call (888) 669-7195.
Community Transitions helps Medicaid recipients who have been in a nursing home for at least three months return home, and Environmental Modifications is one of its services. Call (800) 474-7540 to ask whether a stair lift fits the transition plan.
Yes. Split-level homes have several short flights, and each one can take its own straight lift, so you can start with the flight used most.
An outdoor stair lift is built for porch and deck steps exposed to weather. If the person uses a wheelchair and cannot move to a seat, a platform lift is usually the better choice.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
