Mercer County spreads across 569 square miles of northwestern Illinois, from Sherrard and Matherville near the Rock Island County line down to Keithsburg and New Boston along the Iowa border. Much of the housing in Aledo, Viola, Joy, Seaton and North Henderson dates back generations, to settlement that followed the Black Hawk War in the 1830s.
Those long-established homes are where many families here want to stay. With 76.8% of residents owning their homes and 20.3% aged 65 or older, the question often comes down to the stairs inside a house someone has lived in for decades. This page covers which kind of lift tends to fit local homes and which programs may help with the cost.
Most of what we see across the county is single-family homes and detached houses, with a good share of ranch-style homes and split-level homes mixed in. Each layout puts the stairs in a different place, and that decides the lift.
A ranch-style home usually keeps daily living on one floor, so the stairs in question are often the ones to the basement, where the laundry or the furnace sits. A single straight flight like that is the simplest kind of stair lift to fit.
Split-level homes are different. You may have two or three short flights connecting half-levels, and a person may need to reach more than one of them. That can mean a straight lift on each flight, or a curved rail that follows a landing or a turn.
A straight lift runs on a rail along one flight with no turns. It is the most common fit for the basement stairs in a ranch home or the main staircase in an older two-story house.
When a staircase turns at a landing, or when the rail needs to continue around a corner, a curved lift is built to match that stair. Older homes in towns like Aledo and Keithsburg sometimes have narrow or turning stairways where this comes up.
Front porch and back door steps are their own problem. An outdoor stair lift is made to handle the weather on exterior steps. For someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift may be the better choice, and we look at that during the home visit.
Mercer County is rural and spread out, even though it is part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (Quad Cities) Metropolitan Statistical Area. Reaching specialists, medical care or a single-story or assisted-living option can mean a real drive from Viola, Joy or Seaton.
For many families, fixing the stairs at home is more practical than moving. A lift lets someone keep using the whole house they already own, close to neighbors and the town they know.
The Veterans Assistance Commission is right in Aledo at 100 SE 3rd St, 2nd Floor, Room #6, and can be reached at (309) 582-2714.
One thing to know up front: the VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides, porch lifts and other removable equipment. Veterans with a qualifying severe service-connected disability may want to ask about the Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation grants instead, though those do not name stair lifts specifically either.
A stair lift is a real expense for a household on a modest income, so it is worth calling before you buy. The programs below differ mostly by age: Illinois routes people under 60 with a severe disability to DHS programs, and people 60 and older to the Illinois Department on Aging.
For residents 60 and older, a good first call is the Western Illinois AAA (PSA 3) in Rock Island at (309) 793-6800. Under 60, start with the DHS Help Line at (800) 843-6154. Homeowners with very low income may also look at USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants or the IHDA Home Repair and Accessibility Program.
A statewide waiver service for Medicaid-eligible Illinois residents with a severe disability, generally under 60 at application, and its official page names stair lifts as an example of covered modifications. Call the DHS Help Line at (800) 843-6154 to be routed to the right local office.
This waiver offers environmental modifications for Medicaid-eligible people with severe disabilities under 60, though its page does not mention stair lifts by name. Call (800) 843-6154.
CCP funds in-home services such as personal care, adult day service and emergency home response for Illinois residents 60 and older with non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less; home modifications and stair lifts are not listed. Call (800) 252-8966, or reach it locally through the Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging.
An information, referral and benefits counseling hub whose service area includes Mercer County; it does not list stair lift funding itself but can screen seniors for programs like CCP. Call (309) 793-6800.
Very low income homeowners in eligible rural areas can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and those 62 or older who cannot repay a loan may get grants up to $10,000, with up to $50,000 combined. Stair lifts are not named specifically, and eligibility must be checked by address.
HISA pays up to $6,800 or $2,000 over a lifetime for certain home accessibility work for enrolled VA patients. It explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it will not cover a stair lift.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA. The VA page lists ramps and widened doorways but does not name stair lifts specifically.
HRAP funds health and safety repairs and accessibility improvements for low- and very low-income homeowners through local grantee organizations, though stair lifts are not itemized and demand far exceeds funding. Call IHDA at (312) 836-5200.
Older adults
729 34th Avenue, Rock Island, 61201
Veterans
100 SE 3rd St, 2nd Floor, Room #6, Aledo, 61231
Yes, possibly. The Illinois Home Modification and Assistive Technology program, for Medicaid-eligible residents with a severe disability who are generally under 60, names stair lifts as an example of covered work. Call the DHS Help Line at (800) 843-6154.
Start with the Western Illinois AAA (PSA 3) in Rock Island at (309) 793-6800. It serves Mercer County and can screen for the Community Care Program and other benefits, though it is not itself a stair lift fund.
Not through HISA, which explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans with a qualifying severe service-connected disability can ask about SAH or SHA grants, and the Veterans Assistance Commission in Aledo at (309) 582-2714 can help with VA questions.
Not always. Split-level homes often have short separate flights, and each can take its own straight lift. A curved rail comes in when the stair turns at a landing or you want one lift to continue around a corner.
The Section 504 program offers repair loans up to $40,000 and, for homeowners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan, grants up to $10,000. Stair lifts are not named specifically, income must meet the very low income guideline, and your address must fall in an eligible rural area.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
