Adams County runs north to south through Decatur, Berne, Geneva and Monroe, with Linn Grove and a lot of farmland in between. Out on the county roads you still find two-story farmhouses with their original staircases, the kind of house represented by the Lenhart Farmhouse in Root Township, built circa 1848 in the Federal/Greek Revival style.
Closer to town, the homes look different: ranch-style houses, split-level homes, detached single-family houses and a few walk-up apartments. Each of those layouts calls for a different kind of lift, and the right choice depends on the staircase, not the age of the person using it. This page walks through what fits where and which programs may help with the cost.
Older two-story farm dwellings often have staircases built long before anyone thought about mobility equipment. Some run straight from the front hall to the second floor, and those usually take a straight stair lift mounted on a rail along the treads.
Others turn at a landing or wind around a corner. Those stairs need a curved rail made to the measurements of that specific staircase, so an in-home measurement comes first. In a historic house, we also look at how the rail attaches so the original woodwork is disturbed as little as possible.
A ranch-style home may have everything on one floor except the basement, where the laundry or the freezer often ends up. A straight lift on the basement stairs can keep that part of the house usable.
Split-level homes have short runs of stairs between levels. Sometimes one lift on the most-used run is enough, and sometimes a platform lift makes more sense, especially for someone who uses a wheelchair. Walk-up apartments add another question: the building owner usually has to approve any installation in a shared stairwell.
Many county homes have steps up to a porch or side door. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle those, but it has to stand up to the local weather, with January lows near 17 degrees F and monthly precipitation of roughly 2.2 to 4.4 inches. Outdoor units with weather covers are built for that kind of exposure.
As of the 2020 Census, 70.8% of residents lived outside urban areas. For a family on a farm outside Decatur, Berne, Geneva or Monroe, that distance affects how quickly contractors and aging services can reach the house, so it helps to plan an installation before it becomes urgent.
Many households are multigenerational, including in the Swiss Amish community concentrated in the southern half of the county around Berne, where families tend to rely on local rather than remote services.
In a household where a parent lives with grown children, a stair lift can let that parent keep a bedroom upstairs instead of moving the whole household around. Veterans can start with the Adams County Veteran Service Office in Decatur at (260) 724-5371 to sort out which VA benefits apply.
Two Indiana Medicaid waivers, PathWays for Aging and Health and Wellness, list home modifications as a covered service, approved case by case. Stair lifts are not named on the state pages, so ask the enrollment broker or your Managed Care Entity directly.
For people who do not qualify for Medicaid, Aging & In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana handles intake for the state CHOICE program, which lists environmental modification and specialized medical equipment among its services. Rural homeowners with very low incomes can also look at USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants. Note that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, so veterans should ask about other options. The full list is below.
A Medicaid waiver for people age 60 or older who meet Nursing Facility Level of Care; home modifications and a home modification assessment are covered services, approved case by case by the Managed Care Entity (Anthem, Humana, or UnitedHealthcare). Call the enrollment broker at (877) 284-9294.
The companion waiver for people age 59 and under with a qualifying disability who meet Nursing Facility Level of Care and Medicaid limits. Home modifications are a covered service, though stair lifts are not named individually.
A state-funded, non-Medicaid program for people 60+ or with a disability who are at risk of losing independence; it lists environmental modification and specialized medical equipment, but stair lifts are not listed. Call (800) 986-3505 for a referral.
The Area Agency on Aging for Adams County, handling CHOICE intake, Medicaid waiver case management and the Aging & Disability Resource Center; it does not list a stair lift benefit of its own. Call (260) 745-1200.
Wheelchair-accessible door-to-door van transportation for Adams County residents age 60 or older; it is a transportation service, and stair lifts are not listed. Call (260) 724-5316.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to those age 62+ who cannot repay a loan; stair lifts are not named, so confirm with the local Rural Development office at (260) 244-6266.
Federal block grant money that Adams County or a town must apply for and win before residents can use it for owner-occupied home repairs, including ADA accessibility; stair lifts are not listed. Questions go to [email protected].
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home alterations such as ramps and roll-in showers. It does not cover stair lifts; stair glides are specifically excluded.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026 for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own their home; stair lifts are not listed. The Adams County Veteran Service Office can help at (260) 724-5371.
Older adults
8101 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, 46804
Veterans
313 W. Jefferson St., Rm 257A, Decatur, 46733
Usually, yes. Straight staircases take a straight rail, while stairs that turn or wind need a curved rail made to that staircase's measurements, which starts with an in-home measurement.
The PathWays for Aging waiver (60 and older) and the Health and Wellness waiver (59 and under) both cover home modifications case by case. Stair lifts are not named, so ask the PathWays enrollment broker at (877) 284-9294 or your Managed Care Entity.
The Health and Wellness Medicaid waiver serves people 59 and under with a qualifying disability who meet Nursing Facility Level of Care. CHOICE is also open to people with a disability, through Aging & In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana at (260) 745-1200.
The HISA grant does not; it excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so talk with the Adams County Veteran Service Office in Decatur at (260) 724-5371.
USDA Section 504 offers repair loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas, with grants for those 62 and older. Stair lifts are not named, so confirm with the field office at (260) 244-6266.
Outdoor stair lifts and platform lifts are built for exposure, which matters with January lows near 17 degrees F and steady precipitation through the year. We look at the porch steps, drainage and covering during the home visit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
