Grant County is three towns, Elgin, Carson and New Leipzig, spread across 1,666 square miles of rolling hill country in southwestern North Dakota. Many of the homes here are older single-family houses and two-story farmhouses, and interior stairs are simply part of living in them.
About 33.7% of residents are 65 or older, and roughly 74.0% own their homes. For a lot of families, that means a parent who wants to stay in the house they know, with a staircase standing between them and the bedroom or basement. This page walks through which stair lift fits which kind of Grant County home and where to start on paying for one.
A two-story farmhouse with one straight run of stairs is usually the simplest job. A straight stair lift rides a rail fastened to the treads, not the wall, so plaster and old trim stay as they are.
Split-level homes are different. They often have short flights going up and down from a middle landing, and each flight may need its own lift, or a curved rail that follows the turn. We measure every step and landing before recommending either one.
Ranch-style homes often put the laundry or a spare room in the basement. If the main floor has everything a person needs, a basement lift may not be necessary at all. If it does, that stairway is usually a straight run.
Plenty of houses in Elgin and Carson have a few steps up to the front or back door. An outdoor stair lift built for weather can handle those, and so can a platform lift for someone who uses a wheelchair.
Low-rise buildings with shared stairways are another case. Anything installed in a common hallway needs the building owner's approval first, so start that conversation early.
Carson and Elgin are linked by just three state highways, ND 21, 31 and 49, and Grant County keeps Mountain Time while most of the state runs on Central. When you call an office in Bismarck, check which time zone they mean.
Distance also means fewer local contractors and longer drives for every visit. Grouping the measuring visit, paperwork and installation into as few trips as possible saves time for everyone, so have funding questions answered before the install is scheduled.
With a small, aging farm and ranch population, local resources are thin, and state and federal programs are the more realistic place to look. None of the programs below list stair lifts by name on their public pages, so the first step is always a phone call to confirm.
The Three Rivers Human Service Zone office in Carson, at (701) 622-3706, is the closest place to ask about Medicaid home care services. The Aging Services Division in Bismarck, at (701) 328-8910, can also help. Ask about the North Dakota Medicaid HCBS Aged and Disabled Waiver Environmental Modification, Service Payments for the Elderly and Disabled (SPED / Ex-SPED), and the ND Assistive Assistive Technology Financial Loan (ATFL) Program.
There is no VA facility in the county, so the Stark County Veterans Service Office in Dickinson, at (701) 456-7654, serves Grant County and can explain VA grants and VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics). Homeowners may also want to ask about the North Dakota Homestead Property Tax Credit for Seniors and Disabled.
A state Medicaid program that supports adults at home who would otherwise need nursing-facility care; the public page does not list stair lifts or home modifications. Call the Three Rivers Human Service Zone office in Carson at (701) 622-3706 to confirm what the current service list covers.
A statewide referral service for seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers, found at ndcarechoice.hhs.nd.gov. It does not fund stair lifts and does not mention them, but it can point you to programs that might.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or plan to own their home; the VA page mentions ramps and wider doorways but does not list stair lifts. A Temporary Residence Adaptation benefit of up to $50,961 may apply if living in a family member's home.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, and the home may belong to a family member the veteran lives with; stair lifts are not named on the VA page. A Temporary Residence Adaptation benefit of up to $9,100 is also available.
Older adults
600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 325, Bismarck, 58505
Veterans
Courthouse, 51 3rd Street East, Dickinson, 58601
Start with the Three Rivers Human Service Zone office at 106 2nd Ave. in Carson, (701) 622-3706. It serves Grant, Morton and Sioux counties and can tell you whether the Medicaid home care program currently covers home modifications.
The public program page does not say either way. Ask the Human Service Zone office or the Aging Services Division at (701) 328-8910 about the HCBS Aged and Disabled Waiver Environmental Modification.
The Stark County Veterans Service Office in Dickinson serves Grant County. Call (701) 456-7654 to ask about the SAH and SHA grants and VA HISA benefits.
Usually, yes. Short flights may each get a straight lift, or a curved rail can follow the turn at the landing, depending on how the stairs are laid out.
North Dakota has the ND Assistive Assistive Technology Financial Loan (ATFL) Program. Ask the Aging Services Division how to reach it and whether a stair lift qualifies.
Grant County is on Mountain Time, while offices in Bismarck are on Central Time. Plan calls with that hour difference in mind.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
