Drive out of Batavia toward Le Roy, Bergen or Alexander and you pass two-story farmhouses and turn-of-the-century village houses, many of them built on the same 19th- and early-20th-century settlement timeline. Inside Batavia, a good share of the housing dates to the early-1900s building boom that came with the city's industrial growth. These homes were built with bedrooms upstairs, and that is where a stair lift usually comes in.
Genesee County covers about 495 square miles of rolling farmland, creeks and small lakes spread across 14 towns, from Pembroke and Darien in the west to Bethany and Pavilion in the south. This page walks through what the local homes mean for the kind of lift you need, and which offices to call about paying for it.
Many staircases in older farmhouses and village houses run in one straight flight from the front hall to the bedrooms. A straight stair lift is the simplest fit for that layout. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster walls in an older house are left alone.
Older stairs can be steep and narrow compared with newer construction. During a home visit we measure the width, the pitch and the space at the top and bottom landings. A folding seat and footrest help keep a narrow stair usable for everyone else in the house.
Some village houses have a staircase that turns at a landing or winds near the top. Those stairs need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairway, which takes more measuring and more time to build than a straight rail.
Split-level homes bring a different problem: several short flights instead of one long one. Sometimes one short run is all a person really needs to manage, and sometimes it makes sense to look at more than one lift. Duplexes and walk-up apartments raise questions about shared stairs, so the owner or landlord should be part of that conversation early.
On a farm property or a house set back from the road, the hardest stairs are often the porch or side-door steps, not the indoor ones. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle Western New York weather. For someone using a wheelchair, a vertical platform lift at the entry may be the better answer.
It helps to think about the whole route: driveway, steps, door and the stairs inside. Fixing only one of those can still leave someone stuck.
About 74.0 percent of Genesee County households own their homes, and 18.3 percent of residents are 65 or older. Many of those owners have lived in the same two-story house for a long time and would rather adapt it than move to a single-story place.
If someone in your family served, the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency at 3837 West Main Street Road in Batavia can help sort out VA benefits at (585) 815-7905.
Most programs listed below do not name stair lifts in their published rules, so the honest answer is often to call and ask. The VA HISA benefit specifically excludes stair glides, which is worth knowing before you apply.
The best first call for most families is the Genesee County Office for the Aging at 2 Bank Street in Batavia, (585) 343-1611. Staff there can screen you for EISEP and point you to Medicaid or other options. Independent Living of the Genesee Region is another local call, especially about its Loan Closet.
A VA benefit for medically necessary home accessibility changes for enrolled VA health-care patients, certified by a VA physician. Stair glides are explicitly excluded, so it will not pay for a stair lift; call (800) 698-2411 with questions.
VA grants for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home, or temporarily adapt a family member's home. The VA source gives ramps and wider doorways as examples and does not mention stair lifts, so ask the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency at (585) 815-7905.
Repair loans and grants for very-low-income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas, with grants limited to applicants age 62 or older and to removing health and safety hazards. Stair lifts are not named in the sources, and eligibility must be checked by address, since parts of Batavia may not qualify.
A state program for people 60 or older who need help with daily activities and are not eligible for the same services through Medicaid; it can include assistive devices and home repairs, but stair lifts are not named. It runs through the Genesee County Office for the Aging at (585) 343-1611.
Medicaid long-term care plans that provide in-home services such as nursing, therapies and personal care based on a care plan. Stair lifts are not listed, so ask your plan's care manager whether your specific plan offers a home modification benefit.
The county office at 2 Bank Street in Batavia that offers information, referral, caregiver support and screening for programs like EISEP for residents 60 and older. It does not list a stair lift program, but it is the right first call at (585) 343-1611.
A nonprofit serving people with disabilities in Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties, with a Batavia office at 319 West Main Street and a Loan Closet among its services. It does not say whether stair lifts are available, so call (585) 815-8501 to ask.
Older adults
2 Bank Street, Batavia, 14020
Veterans
3837 West Main Street Road, Genesee County Building #2, Batavia, 14020
No. The HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides and other removable equipment. A veteran with a severe service-connected disability can ask about SAH or SHA grants, which do not mention stair lifts either, through the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency at (585) 815-7905.
Most aging programs, including EISEP and the Office for the Aging, start at 60. A person with a disability at any age can contact Independent Living of the Genesee Region at (585) 815-8501, and Medicaid MLTC through PACE starts at 55.
Many of Genesee County's towns and villages are in USDA-eligible rural territory, but it has to be checked address by address. Grants require the homeowner to be 62 or older and very low income, and stair lifts are not named in the program sources.
Often, yes. The rail attaches to the treads, and a folding seat keeps the stair open for others. We measure width, pitch and landing space at the home to confirm the fit before anything is ordered.
Start with the Genesee County Office for the Aging at 2 Bank Street in Batavia, (585) 343-1611. Information and referral there is offered with no fee, and staff can screen for EISEP and other options.
Independent Living of the Genesee Region runs a Loan Closet, but it does not list what equipment it lends. Call (585) 815-8501 and ask whether a stair lift or stair glide is available.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
