Auglaize County grew up along the Miami and Erie Canal, and you can still see it in the houses. In Wapakoneta, New Bremen, Minster and St. Marys, a lot of older homes follow the two-story Midwest farmhouse or foursquare pattern, with the bedrooms and the only full bath upstairs.
That layout works fine until climbing the stairs gets hard. A stair lift lets someone keep using the whole house without moving the bedroom into the dining room. This page covers how local homes affect the choice of lift and which agencies serving Auglaize County may help with the cost.
The county had 19,873 housing units in the 2020 Census, and 75.6% were owner-occupied. Most are single-family homes in small manufacturing towns, and many of the older ones put every bedroom and the only full bath on the second floor.
In a farmhouse or foursquare, the main staircase is often one straight run. That is usually the simplest and least complicated lift to install, since the rail runs along a single flight. Some older homes have a landing or a turn partway up, and those need a curved rail built to fit that staircase.
Split-level homes have short flights between several floors. Each flight can get its own lift, or one curved rail can sometimes connect levels, depending on how the stairs are arranged. We measure each run before recommending either approach.
Townhouses and walk-up apartments often have narrow stairs with a turn at the top or bottom. If you rent, talk with the owner before planning any installation, since the rail mounts to the stair treads.
Wapakoneta sits along the Auglaize River, and the county includes parts of Grand Lake St. Marys and Lake Loramie. The ground is mostly flat, but homes near the water or with raised foundations can still have steps up to the door or down to a yard.
An outdoor stair lift is built to handle Ohio weather on porch or deck steps. For someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the better fit, because the person rides up while staying in the chair.
By the 2020 Census, 19.4% of Auglaize County residents were 65 or older, and the median age was 41.3. Many of these families have lived in the same house for a long time and want to stay there.
If someone in your family served, the VA grants and the county veterans office listed below are worth a call before you pay out of pocket.
The main local door for seniors is the Area Office on Aging of NW Ohio (AAA 3) at 2423 Allentown Road in Lima, (419) 222-7723. It handles the PASSPORT waiver and Care Coordination for Auglaize County residents age 60 and up, and both list home modification among their services.
Veterans can start with the Auglaize County Veteran Service Office at 209 South Blackhoof St. Room 202 in Wapakoneta, (419) 739-6750. It can help with VA benefit applications. Note that the VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides, so the SAH and SHA grants are the VA programs to ask about.
An Ohio Medicaid waiver for people age 60 and up who meet nursing-facility level of care, run locally through Area Agency on Aging District 3 in Lima, and its Minor Home Modification benefit can cover stair-related work such as a stair lift after a needs assessment. Call (419) 222-7723.
A no-fee, short-term case-management program for Auglaize County residents age 60 and up that coordinates supports including Home Modification/Repair Services, which covers stair lift needs. Call (419) 222-7723.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026) for a permanent home, or up to $50,961 for a Temporary Residence Adaptation, for veterans with certain service-connected disabilities. The VA does not list stair lifts specifically, so ask whether one can be part of an approved adaptation plan at (800) 827-1000.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026) for a permanent home, or up to $9,100 for a Temporary Residence Adaptation, for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of both hands or severe burns. Stair lifts are not mentioned by name; call (800) 827-1000.
A VA benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary structural changes like ramps and roll-in showers. It does not cover stair lifts, since it explicitly excludes stair glides and other removable equipment.
A county office in Wapakoneta serving veterans, widows, widowers and dependents with emergency financial assistance and help applying for VA benefits; home modification and stair lifts are not listed. Call (419) 739-6750.
Older adults
2423 Allentown Road, Lima, 45805
Veterans
209 South Blackhoof St. Room 202, Wapakoneta, 45895
PASSPORT and Care Coordination through AAA 3 are for people 60 and older. Veterans of any age with qualifying disabilities can ask about the VA SAH and SHA grants at (800) 827-1000 or the county veterans office at (419) 739-6750.
A straight staircase usually takes a straight-rail lift, the simplest type to install. If the stairs turn or have a landing, a curved rail built for that staircase is needed instead.
Call the Area Office on Aging of NW Ohio (AAA 3) in Lima at (419) 222-7723. It serves Auglaize County and runs both PASSPORT and Care Coordination locally.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides, porch lifts and other removable equipment. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, but they fund home adaptations, so it is worth asking.
Its listing does not mention home modifications or stair lifts. It does offer emergency financial assistance and help with VA benefit applications, so it is a good first stop for veterans. The office is at 209 South Blackhoof St. Room 202 in Wapakoneta.
If the person cannot safely move from the wheelchair to a seat, a platform lift is usually the better option because it carries the person in the chair. We can look at your stairs and entry to see what fits.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
