Delphi was platted in 1828, and its older core still shows it. Around the courthouse square and the historic downtown, many homes were built tall, with traditional staircases that were never meant for someone with bad knees or a walker. Out in the countryside around Flora, Camden, Burlington, Deer Creek, Pittsburg and Yeoman, farmhouses often have the same kind of steep, narrow stairs.
Carroll County covers about 372 square miles, and 94.6% of residents lived in rural areas as of the 2020 census. That means homes are spread out along farm roads and river country near the Wabash and Tippecanoe. This page walks through what that housing means for a stair lift and where county residents can look for help paying for one.
Delphi has several places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Carroll County Courthouse, Delphi City Hall, the Delphi Courthouse Square Historic District and the Barnett-Seawright-Wilson House. The houses near them come from the same era, and a good share predate modern accessibility standards.
Older staircases can be narrow, steep, or turn at a landing. A straight stair lift works when the run goes top to bottom with no turns. If the stairs bend or have a landing partway up, a curved lift built to that exact staircase is usually the answer. We measure before recommending either one.
Most homes here are single-family houses, with ranch-style homes, split-level homes and some townhouses mixed in. A ranch house may seem stair-free until you count the steps down to the basement or up to the back door. Those short runs are often a good fit for a straight lift.
Split-level homes are trickier because they have several short flights instead of one long one. Sometimes the fix is a lift on the flight used most, and sometimes it takes more than one. Rural farmhouses can also have porch steps where an outdoor lift or a platform lift makes more sense than an indoor model.
With most of the county living outside town, a home visit can mean a longer drive. Planning the measurement and install as one coordinated trip helps keep things moving. It also matters for service later, so ask any installer how far out they travel and how they handle repairs.
If you are helping a parent from out of town, it helps to have someone local who can be there for the measurement. Having the stairs clear and a list of the rooms used every day makes that first visit more useful.
The Carroll County Veterans Service Office is at 101 W. Main Street, Suite 103, in Delphi, and can be reached at (765) 564-2502.
Be aware that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift. The SAH and SHA grants fund larger home adaptations for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, but the VA does not name stair lifts in what it lists. Ask the service office how those rules apply to your situation.
The clearest stair lift coverage among local options is the Indiana Health and Wellness Waiver for people 59 and under, which lists stair lifts as a home modification. For people 60 and older, the PathWays for Aging Waiver includes home modifications, but its sources do not mention stair lifts by name.
In Carroll County, both waivers start with a level-of-care assessment through Area IV Agency on Aging in Lafayette at (765) 447-7683. Statewide, you can also ask about the CHOICE Program (Community and Home Options to Institutional Care for the Elderly and Disabled) and the INDATA Alternative Financing Program (AFP). Each program is summarized below.
A Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older who meet Nursing Facility Level of Care; it includes a home modifications line item, but stair lifts are not listed by name. Carroll County residents apply through Area IV Agency on Aging, and the program line is (877) 284-9294.
A Medicaid waiver for people 59 and younger who meet Nursing Facility Level of Care, and its home modifications benefit lists stair lifts. Apply through Area IV Agency on Aging for the assessment, or call (800) 545-7763.
The local intake and referral point for Medicaid waiver assessments and other aging and disability services, not a cash grant; it does not list a stair lift benefit of its own. Call (765) 447-7683.
Uses grant dollars to build exterior wheelchair ramps for low-income homeowners in Carroll, Clinton, Tippecanoe, Warren and White counties; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (765) 447-7683.
A VA grant for medically necessary home changes, with a $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime maximum depending on disability status, but it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
VA grants for homeowning veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026); stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Provides in-kind help in Delphi such as transportation, homemaker help, wellness check calls and meals; it does not list a stair lift or home modification program. Call (765) 564-2772 to ask about referrals.
Older adults
660 N. 36th St., Lafayette, 47903
Veterans
101 W. Main Street, Suite 103, Delphi, 46923
Yes, possibly. The Indiana Health and Wellness Waiver serves people 59 and under who meet Nursing Facility Level of Care, and its home modifications benefit lists stair lifts. Start with Area IV Agency on Aging at (765) 447-7683 for the assessment.
PathWays covers home modifications for people 60 and older, but its sources do not name stair lifts. Call (877) 284-9294 or Area IV Agency on Aging to ask how it would apply in your case. The income limit for eligibility is up to $2,982 a month, with a $2,000 asset limit for a single person.
No. The VA lists stair glides among the equipment HISA excludes. The Carroll County Veterans Service Office in Delphi at (765) 564-2502 can talk through other VA options.
Often, yes. Straight stairs take a straight lift, while stairs that turn or have a landing usually need a curved lift built to fit. A measurement at the home tells you which one works.
No stair lifts are mentioned. The program builds exterior wheelchair ramps for low-income homeowners in Carroll and four nearby counties. Call (765) 447-7683 if a ramp would help with outside steps.
For payment help, call Area IV Agency on Aging at (765) 447-7683, since it handles waiver assessments for the county. Carroll County Senior & Family Services at (765) 564-2772 can also point you to local services.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
