Mason County sits between the Illinois River on the west and the Sangamon River on the south, on sandy ground left by glacial meltwater roughly 10,000 years ago. Havana is the county seat and the largest city, and the rest of the county is spread across small towns like Mason City, Manito, San Jose, Easton, Kilbourne, Bath and Forest City.
The county is classified as 100% rural, and that shapes how people here handle a parent who can no longer manage the stairs. Assisted living is often a long drive away, so many families look first at keeping someone safely in the house they already own. A stair lift is one of the most direct ways to do that.
Most homes here are single-family, detached houses, with plenty of ranch-style and split-level homes in the mix. A ranch home with a basement stairway usually takes a straight stair lift, which is the simplest and quickest kind to install.
Split-level homes are different. They have short flights between several levels, and a turn or landing can mean a curved rail or two separate straight lifts. We measure every flight before recommending either, because the layout decides the choice more than anything else.
Walk-up apartments come up too. If you rent, talk with the landlord before any installation, since the rail mounts to the stair treads.
As of 2020, 76.7% of the county's 6,626 housing units were owner-occupied. Many of these are long-owned, multi-generational homes, and owners tend to invest in changes like a stair lift rather than move.
About 22.8% of residents are 65 or older, and the county's 2020 median age of 46.1 is well above the U.S. median. That is a lot of households where the bedroom, the bathroom or the laundry sits up or down a flight of stairs.
Inside stairs are only part of the picture in a rural home. Front porch or back door steps can be the real barrier, and an outdoor stair lift is built for that use.
When a wheelchair is involved, a seat on a rail may not be enough. A vertical platform lift carries the chair itself, and it is worth asking about during a home visit.
Help depends mostly on age and on whether there is a disability or military service involved. For residents under 60 with a severe disability, the Illinois Home Services Program is the one program in our list whose source names stair lifts directly.
For residents 60 and older, AgeLinc at (217) 787-9234 is the first call for home-modification help and Community Care Program referrals. Locally, the Mason County Health Department at 1002 East Laurel Ave. in Havana (309-210-0110) runs the Community Care Program for the county.
The Veteran’s Affairs office at 125 N Plum in Havana, (309) 543-8907, can help with VA grant applications. Statewide options such as the IATP ATLOAN$ Program and the DRS Home Modification Program (Centers for Independent Living) are also worth asking about.
A Medicaid waiver for Illinois residents under 60 at application with a severe, long-term disability who are at risk of nursing facility placement, and its source lists stair lifts as an example adaptation. Call (877) 581-3690.
The same Persons with Disabilities waiver, described here as paying to physically modify a home for loss of function; this page does not mention stair lifts by name. Call (877) 581-3690.
For people with a developmental disability enrolled in a DDD waiver, covering home modifications up to $15,000 per five-year period for adults on the Home-Based Services/Community Day Services waiver; the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (800) 843-6154.
In-home services for Illinois residents 60 and older with non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less; the source does not mention home modifications or stair lifts. Call (800) 252-8966 or the Mason County Health Department at 309-210-0110.
The area agency on aging for Mason County and the first call for seniors 60 and older looking for home-modification help; its source does not mention stair lifts. Call (217) 787-9234.
Funds health and safety repairs and accessibility improvements for low- and very-low-income homeowners through local grantee organizations, though the source does not mention stair lifts by name and waitlists can be long. Call (312) 836-5200.
A VA benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home accessibility work, but it explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, with FY2026 caps of $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA; the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call the Havana Veteran’s Affairs office at (309) 543-8907.
Older adults
2731 S. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield, 62704
Veterans
125 N Plum, Havana, 62644-0077
Yes, possibly. The Illinois Home Services Program / Persons with Disabilities Waiver serves residents under 60 at application who are Medicaid-eligible, have a severe disability expected to last 12 months or more, and are at risk of nursing facility placement. Its source lists stair lifts as an example. Call (877) 581-3690.
Start with AgeLinc at (217) 787-9234, the area agency on aging that serves Mason County. You can also reach the Mason County Health Department in Havana at 309-210-0110, which runs the Community Care Program locally.
No. The VA source states that HISA excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans may want to ask about SAH or SHA grants instead, though those sources do not name stair lifts either. The Veteran’s Affairs office at 125 N Plum in Havana, (309) 543-8907, can help.
Usually, yes. Because split-levels have short flights and landings, the answer is often a curved rail or more than one straight lift. A measurement at the home settles which one fits.
Homeowners do not apply to IHDA directly. Applications go through local grantee organizations, and income and property value limits apply. Call IHDA at (312) 836-5200 to find the grantee serving Mason County.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
