Kent County sits low on Maryland's Eastern Shore, bounded by the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, with its highest point just 102 feet above sea level. The land is flat, but many of the houses are not. Multi-story farmhouses and older town homes in and around Chestertown are the kind of homes where a second-floor bedroom slowly becomes hard to reach.
From Rock Hall and Betterton on the water to Galena, Millington and Kennedyville inland, most of the county is rural. This page walks through how local homes affect the choice of a stair lift and which programs in Kent County and across Maryland can help with the cost.
Kent County had 10,286 housing units as of the 2020 Census, much of it older, long-settled housing. A lot of those homes put the bedrooms and the only full bathroom upstairs, which is where stair access turns into an aging-in-place problem.
In an older farmhouse or Chestertown town home, the staircase is often narrow, steep or turns at a landing. A straight stair lift runs on a single rail and fits a flight with no turns. If the stairs wind or stop at a landing and change direction, a curved lift with a custom rail is usually the answer.
Split-level homes mean short flights between several levels, so the question is which flight matters most day to day. Sometimes one lift on the stairs to the bedrooms solves it; other homes need a lift on more than one flight.
Townhouses tend to have one long straight run, which suits a straight lift well. In walk-up apartments the stairs may be shared, so renters should talk with the building owner before planning any installation.
Getting into the house can matter as much as getting upstairs. For porch or entry steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure is one option, and a platform lift can work for someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat.
Per the 2020 Census, 69.6% of residents lived in rural areas. That puts many homeowners further from concentrated home-modification contractor networks than in more urbanized Maryland counties, so it helps to plan the measurement visit and installation early rather than waiting for a fall or hospital discharge.
For many families that means an adult child helping a parent stay in the same house they have lived in for decades.
Veterans have their own grant options, covered below. Because one of the best-known VA grants excludes stair glides by name, it is worth sorting out which benefit fits before anything is ordered.
Median household income in the county was reported at $50,141, so loans and free or low-cost programs often matter more than a large out-of-pocket purchase. The one program here that clearly covers this kind of work is the Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program, which offers unsecured home-modification loans up to $20,000.
Other programs, including SOAR and Medicaid Community First Choice, list categories such as minor home modifications or accessibility adaptations without naming stair lifts. A good first call is Upper Shore Aging at (410) 778-6000, 100 Schauber Road in Chestertown, where a case manager can say whether any funding stream applies.
The state-designated Area Agency on Aging for Kent County offers in-home services, case management and durable medical equipment referral; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed, so ask a case manager directly. Call (410) 778-6000.
Maryland's No Wrong Door information and options counseling service that connects older adults and people with disabilities to housing, financial aid and other resources; it is a referral point, and stair lifts are not listed. Call (410) 778-2564.
Offers family caregivers in Caroline, Kent and Talbot counties information, counseling, support groups and respite funds; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. Call (410) 778-7180.
A Medicaid benefit for people who already have full Maryland Medicaid and need an institutional level of care, with services that include accessibility adaptations; stair lifts are not named, so coverage is case by case. Call (410) 767-1739.
A state-funded program for adults 62 and older under income and asset limits that can include safety related minor home repairs and modifications; stair lifts are not named and coverage depends on funding and the caseworker. Call (410) 767-1100.
Provides free equipment such as walkers, shower chairs, wheelchairs and hospital beds to any Marylander with an illness, injury or disability; stair lifts are not covered. Call (240) 230-8000.
Below-market-rate loans from $500 to $70,000, including unsecured home-modification loans up to $20,000, which covers stair lifts for a Maryland resident with a disability; a family member or friend can borrow. Call (410) 554-9230.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary structural changes to a veteran's home; stair glides are explicitly excluded. Call (877) 222-8387.
A grant of up to $126,526 for FY2026 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not named but may be part of a broader adaptation project with VA approval.
A grant of up to $25,350 for FY2026 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities that limit mobility; it funds home adaptations generally, and stair lifts are not named.
Older adults
100 Schauber Road, Chestertown, 21620
Veterans
115A S. Lynchburg Street, Chestertown, 21620
Usually, though the type depends on the staircase. A straight flight takes a straight lift, while stairs that turn at a landing need a curved lift with a custom rail. Narrow or steep older stairs are the reason an in-home measurement comes first.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts because they are removable equipment. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts but fund home adaptations more broadly, subject to VA approval.
SOAR starts at age 62, but the Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program and Medicaid Community First Choice have no age restriction. The loan program covers home modifications for a Maryland resident with a disability.
Yes. The Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program lets a family member or friend take the loan for a Maryland resident with a disability. Call (410) 554-9230.
The veterans contact listed for the county is the Kent County American Job Center, 115A S. Lynchburg Street in Chestertown, (410) 778-3525. For HISA questions, the VA number is (877) 222-8387.
Upper Shore Aging at (410) 778-6000, 100 Schauber Road, Chestertown. A case manager can check whether SOAR or another program might apply to your home.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
