Anaconda grew up as a copper-smelting company town founded by Marcus Daly, and a lot of its early-20th-century houses still stand. Many of them are multi-story, with steep internal staircases that were never built with an older body in mind.
Deer Lodge County has one town, Anaconda, and it sits at roughly 5,335 feet at the foot of the Anaconda Range, the Pintlers. Families here often want to keep a parent in the long-held family home instead of moving. A stair lift is one of the more practical ways to make that work when the stairs become the problem.
Company towns of that era tended to build tall, narrow houses with stairs tucked inside. When a staircase runs in one straight flight from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest and quickest install.
If the stairs turn at a landing or wind around a corner, the rail has to be bent to fit that exact staircase, which is what a curved stair lift is. We measure every turn on site before recommending one or the other.
Historic buildings in town, including some on the National Register of Historic Places, can come with their own quirks. A stair lift rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, which helps in older homes where plaster and trim matter to the owner.
Not every home here is from the smelter days. The county also has split-level homes, ranch-style homes, townhouses, walk-up apartments and other detached single-family houses.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, and sometimes more than one. A short straight lift can cover a single half-flight, while a home with several sets of steps may need more than one lift or a different approach.
Walk-up apartments and townhouses raise a different question: who owns the stairs. If the staircase is shared or the unit is rented, the owner or building manager has to approve an install, so it helps to ask early.
Anaconda's elevation and long winters make outdoor steps hard for anyone with limited mobility, and the Continental Divide passes within about 8 miles to the south. Icy entry steps can keep a person housebound as surely as the stairs inside.
For porch or entry steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather is one option. Where a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. We look at both the inside and outside stairs during a visit so nothing gets missed.
About 25.5% of county residents are 65 or older, and the median age is 49.4 years, older than the national average. Around 69.5% of residents own their homes, which matters because most funding programs and most installs assume the person owns the house.
If that includes someone in your family, read the VA notes below closely, because one well-known VA grant does not pay for stair lifts.
The county's median household income of $35,310, from 2010 census figures, suggests many seniors have limited money for private-pay home modifications. That is why Medicaid, VA and USDA programs come up so often here.
The Montana Big Sky Waiver is the program most likely to help, since it lists home modifications for safety and accessibility as a covered service. Stair lifts are not named by item, so approval depends on case-manager review, and there can be a waitlist.
USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants can be used to make a home accessible for a household member with a disability, but you would need to ask the USDA office whether a stair lift qualifies. Other statewide programs worth asking about include the Montana Assistive Technology Loan (MATL), the Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM), Community First Choice Services (CFCS) and the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) & Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit.
Montana's main Medicaid home and community-based waiver lists home modifications as a covered service, and a stair lift may be approved as a home modification or under Member Directed Goods/Services after case-manager review. Single applicants face a $994/month income limit and a $2,000 asset limit; apply through apply.mt.gov or the local Office of Public Assistance, or call (888) 706-1535.
This Butte-based office serves older adults and adults with disabilities in Deer Lodge and five neighboring counties with information, referral and options counseling. Its listing does not mention stair lifts or home modifications, so call (406) 782-5555 to ask what applies.
The Metcalf Center at 115 E. Pennsylvania Ave in Anaconda offers meals, rides to appointments, food baskets and a Veterans Services Officer on the first Wednesday of every month. It does not list stair lift help, but it can point you to the Big Sky Waiver and other programs; call (406) 563-3504.
Very-low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas can get repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest, and homeowners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan can get grants up to $10,000, including for accessibility work. Stair lifts are not named, so call (406) 585-2515 to ask whether one qualifies.
HISA pays for permanent changes such as entrance ramps and roll-in showers, with lifetime limits of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on the disability. It specifically excludes stair glides, so it will not cover a stair lift; the VA number is (800) 827-1000.
These grants, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, help homeowners with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities adapt a home for accessibility. The VA page does not name stair lifts, so ask at (800) 827-1000.
Located at 800 S Main St in Anaconda, this office helps county veterans with claims, benefits information and appeals, and can refer them to VA housing programs. It does not list a stair lift benefit of its own; call (406) 563-4060.
Older adults
125 Basin Creek Rd., Butte, 59701
Veterans
600 Gilman Ave, Butte, 59701
It can, through the Montana Big Sky Waiver, which covers home modifications for safety and accessibility. Stair lifts are not named by item, so a case manager has to review and approve it, and the waiver can have a waitlist when slots are full. Call (888) 706-1535 or apply through apply.mt.gov.
The Big Sky Waiver also covers people under 65 who have a qualifying physical disability and need a nursing facility level of care. The USDA grant portion requires age 62 or older, while USDA loans do not carry that age requirement.
No. The VA's HISA rules exclude removable equipment such as stair glides and porch lifts. SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so it is worth asking the VA at (800) 827-1000 or the Deer Lodge County Veterans Service Office at (406) 563-4060.
The Metcalf Center at 115 E. Pennsylvania Ave can point you toward programs, and a Veterans Services Officer visits the first Wednesday of every month. The county Veterans Service Office is at 800 S Main St. The nearest aging office is Area V in Butte at 125 Basin Creek Rd.
Usually, yes. Stairs that turn need a curved rail made to fit that staircase, so we measure it on site first. Straight single flights are the simpler and faster install.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for entry and porch steps, and with Anaconda's long winters many families ask about them. If the person uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may be the better fit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
