Washington County is Maine's Sunrise County, home to the easternmost point in the contiguous United States and to 34 towns spread across 3,258 square miles. From Calais and Baileyville near the border down the coast through Machias, Jonesport, Milbridge and Lubec, the towns are small and far apart. The Census Bureau classifies the whole county as rural.
Many of the houses here are older farmhouses, capes and multi-story coastal homes with a full flight of stairs up to the bedrooms. When climbing those stairs gets hard, a stair lift can keep someone living on both floors of the house they already own. This page covers what fits these homes and where Washington County families can look for help paying.
The county recorded 21,594 housing units in the 2020 census, and a large share are older single-family and detached houses. In a farmhouse or cape, the main staircase is often one straight run to the second floor. A straight stair lift is usually the simplest and quickest kind to fit on that layout.
Older homes are not always that tidy. Stairs that turn at a landing, wrap around a corner or have a winder step at the top need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the staircase. We measure every staircase in person before recommending one type over the other.
Split-level homes bring a different problem: several short flights instead of one long one. Depending on which levels a person uses every day, that can mean a lift on one short run or more than one lift. Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings add questions about shared stairways, so the building owner needs to be part of that conversation.
Washington County's towns are widely spaced, and many dealers, installers and medical-equipment suppliers are based farther west, around Bangor. For families in places like Cutler, Danforth, Princeton or Beals, that distance affects scheduling, the home visit and any service calls later on.
It helps to gather the basics before the first visit. Measure the staircase, note whether it turns, and write down who in the household will use the lift. Also list any funding program you have already contacted so the paperwork lines up with the quote.
About 25.9% of Washington County residents are 65 or older, and the county's median age of 48.6 is among the oldest in Maine. With 76.5% of residents owning their homes, many people here are deciding whether to adapt a house they own rather than move.
Veterans can get local help from the Machias Field Office of the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services at 53 Prescott Drive, Suite 6, Machias, phone (207) 255-3306. Note that one common VA home grant specifically excludes stair glides, as explained below.
The county's median household income was $56,024 as of 2024, and about 11.7% of families lived in poverty. For many households, a stair lift gets paid for through a loan, a grant or a Medicaid waiver rather than straight from savings.
The one program in our list that confirms in writing that it covers stair lifts is Alpha One's Adaptive Equipment Loan Program. Most of the other programs here pay for home repairs, accessibility or in-home care, but their sources do not name stair lifts, so ask each one directly before you count on it. The VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides.
A good first call is the Eastern Area Agency on Aging at (207) 941-2865. It serves Washington County and can connect you to MaineCare waivers and other funding. Other statewide options include mPower Loans (Kim Wallace Adaptive Equipment Loan Program) and the Maine Property Tax Fairness Credit.
This Medicaid home and community waiver is for Maine residents 65 or older, or 18 or older with a physical disability, who meet nursing-facility level of care and MaineCare financial rules. The available sources do not list stair lifts by name, so call Maine DHHS at (207) 287-3707 to ask about home modifications in a care plan.
EAAA offers free information, options counseling and help with waiver assessments for older adults, adults with disabilities and caregivers in Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis and Washington counties. It is not a cash grant, and its listing does not mention stair lifts; call (207) 941-2865.
These are home repair and accessibility grants for owners who have lived in the home at least 1 year and meet income limits; Community Aging in Place also requires age 55 or older or a disability. Stair lifts are not listed in the program's scope, so call (207) 816-3550 or the local partner, Community Action in Aroostook, Washington, and Hancock Counties, at 207-764-3721.
This federal program offers repair loans, plus grants for applicants 62 or older, to very-low-income rural homeowners, and all of Washington County counts as rural. Stair lifts are not listed by name; coverage depends on the health and safety hazards identified, case by case.
This loan, not a grant, finances adaptive equipment for Maine residents with a disability, and it explicitly lists stair lifts and home modifications. Loans run from $250 to $100,000 at a fixed 3.75% rate; call (800) 640-7200.
This is a grant for disability-related needs for Maine residents with a disability. Stair lifts are not listed as covered and no dollar cap is confirmed, so call Alpha One at (800) 640-7200 to ask about your situation.
HISA is a lifetime grant for medically necessary structural changes to a veteran's home, up to $6,800 for a service-connected disability or $2,000 for other eligible disabilities. It explicitly excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift; call (800) 827-1000 about other VA options.
These grants help veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities buy, build or adapt a home. The VA does not mention stair lifts by name, so call (800) 827-1000 to ask whether a stair lift could be part of an adaptation.
Older adults
450 Essex St., Bangor, 04401
Veterans
53 Prescott Drive, Suite 6, Machias, 04654
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts by name, so call the VA at (800) 827-1000. You can also talk with the Machias Field Office of the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services at (207) 255-3306.
Yes. Alpha One's Adaptive Equipment Loan Program lists stair lifts among the equipment it finances. It is a loan that must be repaid, from $250 to $100,000 at a fixed 3.75% rate. The number is (800) 640-7200.
Start with the Eastern Area Agency on Aging at (207) 941-2865. It serves Washington County from its office at 450 Essex St., Bangor. Staff can explain MaineCare waivers and coordinate the assessment those programs require.
Some programs accept younger applicants. The MaineCare waiver covers adults 18 or older with a physical disability. Community Aging in Place accepts homeowners 55 or older or with a disability, and Alpha One's programs serve Maine residents with a disability of any qualifying age.
All of Washington County counts as rural for the USDA Section 504 program. You still need to own and live in the home and meet the income limit of 50% of area median income. The grant portion is for applicants 62 or older.
Usually, yes. A single straight flight takes a straight lift, while stairs that turn or have a landing need a curved rail made to fit. An in-home measurement tells you which one your staircase needs.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
