Carroll County stretches across 445 square miles of northwestern Illinois, from the Mississippi River bluffs near Savanna and Thomson to farm towns like Lanark, Milledgeville, Shannon and Chadwick. With about 35.3 people per square mile, the next single-story house or assisted-living option can be a long drive from the home a family has owned for decades.
That distance is a big reason many households here look at a stair lift before they look at moving. In Mount Carroll, the county seat, older multi-story homes line the streets of the Mount Carroll Historic District. Out in the country, long-owned farmhouses and small-town homes raise the same question: can the stairs stay usable?
The Mount Carroll Historic District covers 118 acres and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It takes in downtown, the Carroll County Courthouse, the former Shimer College campus (now the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies) and older residential streets full of 19th- and early-20th-century homes.
Staircases in houses of that age are often narrow, steep or turn at a landing. A straight stair lift works when the flight runs top to bottom without a bend. If the stairs turn, a curved lift built to the exact shape of the staircase is usually the answer, and we measure on site before quoting one.
The 2020 Census put Mount Carroll's median age at 51.5, with 28.9% of residents 65 or older. A lot of these older homes are lived in by people who would rather stay put than leave a house they know.
Outside the historic core, Carroll County housing is mostly single-family homes, with ranch-style and split-level homes common in towns like Lanark and Savanna. A split-level has short flights between floors, and each flight usually takes its own straight lift.
A ranch-style home with stairs down to a lower level is often a simple straight-lift job. Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings are different, since the owner or building manager has to approve anything mounted to a shared stairway, so start that conversation early.
Around Savanna, the land rises into the bluffs and ravines of Mississippi Palisades State Park. Homes on sloped lots near the river can have a run of exterior steps between the driveway and the front door.
An outdoor stair lift is built for weather and can handle those entry steps. Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift may be a better fit. We look at the slope, the step count and where the lift would park before recommending either one.
About 21.8% of county residents are 65 or older, and 75.0% own their homes. For a homeowner, a stair lift is a change to a house they control, without asking a landlord.
The Carroll County Veterans Assistance Commission in Mount Carroll, at (815) 906-0133, is a local place to start on VA questions.
Help depends mostly on age, disability and veteran status. For Illinois residents under 60 with a severe disability who are Medicaid-eligible, the Illinois DHS home modification program lists stair lifts by name. Adults 18 and older with a disability, or their families, can look at the ATLOAN$ loan program for home modifications.
People 60 and older should call the Northwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (815) 226-4901 first. Rural homeowners 62 and older with very low income may qualify for a USDA Section 504 repair grant, though that source does not name stair lifts. Veterans should know the VA HISA benefit excludes stair glides. Each program is listed below with its phone number.
A statewide Medicaid waiver service for Illinois residents under 60 at application with a severe, long-term disability; its page names stair lifts among examples of covered modifications. Call (800) 843-6154.
Loans for Illinois residents 18 and older with disabilities, and their families, to buy assistive technology and home modifications, which can include a stair lift. Call (217) 522-7985.
Funds physical adaptations to a home when specified in the service plan of someone enrolled in a Division of Developmental Disabilities waiver; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 843-6154.
A $4.5 million statewide home modification program for people with disabilities not served by the Home Services Program, run through Centers for Independent Living; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (800) 843-6154 or NICIL locally.
Funds health and safety repairs and accessibility improvements for low- and very-low-income homeowners through local grantee organizations; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (312) 836-5200.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for owners 62 or older, for repairs in eligible rural areas; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (217) 403-6200.
A VA benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home accessibility changes, but it explicitly excludes stair glides. Call (800) 827-1000.
VA grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities; the source does not mention stair lifts specifically.
A free help and referral hub for older adults and adults with disabilities in Carroll and eight other counties; it does not list stair lift funding itself. Call (815) 226-4901.
The Center for Independent Living serving Carroll County, offering advocacy, peer support and referrals; stair lifts are not mentioned, so call to ask about current funding. Call (815) 625-7860.
A Mount Carroll organization at 306 N Main St offering benefits counseling, tax preparation and transportation for older adults; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (815) 244-1800.
Older adults
1111 South Alpine Road, Suite 600, Rockford, 61108
Veterans
17612 East Benton Street, P.O. Box 126, Mount Carroll, 61053
Yes. The Illinois DHS home modification program serves residents under 60 at application who are Medicaid-eligible and have a severe disability, and it names stair lifts as an example. Call (800) 843-6154, and contact NICIL at (815) 625-7860 locally.
The Northwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (815) 226-4901. It covers Carroll County and can point you to services. Carroll County Senior Services Organization in Mount Carroll, at (815) 244-1800, also helps with benefits counseling.
The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants cover home adaptations for qualifying service-connected disabilities, but their source does not name stair lifts. The Carroll County Veterans Assistance Commission at (815) 906-0133 can help you sort out options.
Possibly. Section 504 grants require the owner to be 62 or older and meet very-low-income limits, and eligibility is checked by address. The source does not name stair lifts, so ask when you call (217) 403-6200.
Usually, yes. Curved lifts are built to match the turns of a specific staircase, which is common in 19th- and early-20th-century homes. We measure the stairs in person before recommending a lift.
The ATLOAN$ program lends to Illinois residents 18 and older with disabilities, and their families, for home modifications. Call (217) 522-7985 to ask about current terms.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
