Hancock County covers 814 square miles of flat Corn Belt farmland along the Mississippi River, with Carthage as the county seat and Hamilton sitting across the river from Keokuk, Iowa. Between them are towns like Warsaw, La Harpe, Dallas City, Nauvoo, Augusta, Bowen, Plymouth and West Point, and most residents live out in the rural parts of the county rather than in town.
That spread-out pattern matters when a parent starts having trouble with the stairs. Single-story or assisted-living housing can mean a long move away from family and neighbors. For many longtime homeowners here, putting a lift on the stairs they already have is the more practical way to stay put.
Carthage is a compact 19th-century county-seat town built around a courthouse square that has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. The current Hancock County Courthouse dates to 1908, and the Carthage Jail goes back to 1844. Nauvoo has its own National Register-listed historic district with brick houses from the 1840s Latter-day Saint settlement period.
Homes from that era often have narrow, steep staircases, and some turn at a landing. A straight stair can usually take a standard rail mounted to the treads. A stair that turns or winds will need a curved rail built to fit that specific staircase, so we measure it in person before quoting anything.
Around the county you will also find single-family and detached houses, ranch-style homes, split-level homes and walk-up apartments. A ranch home may still have a basement stair where the laundry lives, and that is often a simple straight lift.
Split-level homes are trickier because they have several short flights. Sometimes one lift on the most-used flight solves the daily problem, and sometimes it takes more than one. For a home with steps up to the front door, an outdoor lift or a vertical platform lift may make more sense than an interior unit.
About 22.7% of Hancock County residents are 65 or older, and 77.7% own their homes. Those two facts together explain most of the calls we get: people who own a multi-level house, want to stay in it, and are finding the stairs harder each year.
If that includes someone in your family, the county Veterans Service Office in Carthage is a good first call before you look at VA benefits, because some VA home programs exclude stair lifts and others do not name them.
There is no single program that simply pays for stair lifts here, so it helps to know where to start. The Illinois DHS home modification page names stair lifts as an example of covered modifications and sends residents to their local Center for Independent Living, which for Hancock County is the West Central Illinois Center for Independent Living in Quincy.
Age makes a difference. The Persons with Disabilities Waiver applies to people under 60 at application, while people 60 and older should go through the Senior HelpLine and the West Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging. Homeowners with low incomes in rural areas can also ask about USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants or the IHDA Home Repair and Accessibility Program. The program list below shows what each one says about stair lifts and who to call.
Veterans can reach the Hancock County Veterans Service Office at 500 Main Street, 1st Floor, Carthage, at (217) 617-7635.
A statewide information page that lists stair lifts as an example of covered home modifications and points residents to their local Center for Independent Living. Call (800) 843-6154.
A VA benefit for enrolled patients with a medically necessary need for accessibility changes, with lifetime maximums of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status. It explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, with FY2026 caps of up to $126,526 for SAH and up to $25,350 for SHA. The VA source describes changes like ramps and wider doorways but does not mention stair lifts.
A Medicaid waiver for Illinois residents under age 60 at application with a severe disability, which includes physical modifications to the home to accommodate loss of function. The source does not mention stair lifts by name; call (877) 581-3690.
In-home services for Illinois residents 60 and older who qualify, with a non-exempt asset limit of $17,500; the services described do not mention home modifications or stair lifts. The Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966 routes seniors to local care coordination and the area agency on aging.
The Center for Independent Living that serves Hancock County, offering an Equipment Loan Program and a Transition Program that mentions home accessibility; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (217) 223-0400 to ask what help is currently available.
A Quincy-based hub for senior services such as nutrition, healthcare assistance and elder abuse prevention; the source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (217) 223-7904 for referrals.
Funds health and safety repairs and accessibility improvements through local grantee organizations, with income and property value limits; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (312) 836-5200, and expect waitlists since demand exceeds funding.
A no-cost weatherization program for income-eligible homeowners in Hancock and nearby counties, covering sealing, insulation and window and door repair. The source does not mention stair lifts; call (309) 837-2997.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest and grants up to $10,000 for very low income homeowners in eligible rural areas, with grants limited to applicants 62 or older. The source mentions accessibility work like wheelchair ramps but does not mention stair lifts.
Older adults
639 York Street, Suite 333, Quincy, 62301
Veterans
500 Main Street, 1st Floor, Carthage, 62321
Often, yes. Older staircases are measured in person so the rail fits the width, pitch and any turns. Stairs that turn at a landing usually need a curved rail made for that staircase.
The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way. Call the Hancock County Veterans Service Office in Carthage at (217) 617-7635 to talk through your options.
The Persons with Disabilities Waiver is for Illinois residents under 60 at application and includes home modifications for loss of function. Call (877) 581-3690, and also contact the West Central Illinois Center for Independent Living at (217) 223-0400.
Start with the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966, which routes seniors to local care coordination. The West Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging in Quincy is at (217) 223-7904.
Possibly. USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants are for homeowners in eligible rural areas, and grants require the applicant to be 62 or older and very low income. Eligibility is checked address by address on the USDA map.
An outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can handle entry steps. Which one fits depends on how many steps there are and whether a wheelchair is involved.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
