The city of Defiance grew up where the Maumee, Auglaize and Tiffin Rivers meet, as a trading and manufacturing town. Much of the older housing there, and in places like Hicksville, Brunersburg and Ney, follows the two-story Midwest farmhouse or foursquare pattern. Bedrooms are upstairs, and there is often a single full bath.
That layout works fine for decades, until climbing to bed or to the only shower gets hard. Many families here have owned the same house for a long time and would rather stay. A stair lift is one way to keep the upstairs in use without moving or remodeling.
In a two-story home where the bedrooms and the full bath sit on the second floor, the main staircase is the one that matters most. If that staircase runs in one straight flight, a straight rail lift is usually the simplest fit. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall.
Older houses sometimes have a landing, a turn near the top or a narrow passage. Those call for a curved rail built to the shape of your stairs. We measure the staircase in person before recommending either type.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, and a lift is often only needed on the flight to the bedrooms. Ranch-style homes keep daily living on one floor, but basement laundry or entry steps can still be a problem.
Townhouses tend to have one straight interior flight, which suits a straight lift. In walk-up apartments, the renter will need the owner's approval before anything is installed. For steps outside the front or back door, an outdoor lift or a platform lift may make more sense than an indoor model.
Defiance County has about 20,767 residents, and 20.4 percent are 65 or older. About 69.8 percent of households own their homes, across 16,565 total housing units.
The median owner-occupied home value is about $163,200, well below state and national medians. For many owners, a stair lift costs far less than moving or adding a first-floor bedroom and bath.
Two Ohio Medicaid waivers, PASSPORT and the Ohio Home Care Waiver, name stair lifts as a covered home modification. Both require meeting a nursing-facility level of care. The Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio at (800) 472-7277 handles PASSPORT locally and can also point you toward the Home Care Waiver.
Local repair programs from NOCAC and the CHIP program, plus the USDA Section 504 program, help with home repairs but do not name stair lifts. Ask them directly. For veterans, the VA HISA benefit excludes stair glides. The Defiance County Veterans Service Office at (419) 782-6861 can review the other VA grants with you.
An Ohio Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older who meet nursing-facility level of care, and it lists stair lifts as a covered home modification. Call the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio at (800) 472-7277.
A Medicaid waiver for Ohio recipients of any age who meet nursing-facility or hospital level of care and want care at home; stair lifts are covered on a case-by-case basis in the service plan. Contact the Ohio Department of Medicaid at medicaid.ohio.gov or the local Area Agency on Aging at (800) 472-7277.
The regional agency serving adults 60 and older and adults with disabilities, and the local administrator for PASSPORT. Its public site does not list stair lift coverage; call (800) 472-7277.
No-charge safety and minor repairs for homeowners 60 and older in Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding and Williams Counties with household income within 50% of County Median Income Guidelines. It lists handrails, grab bars and stairwell lighting but does not mention stair lifts; call (419) 784-5393.
A housing rehabilitation program for income-qualified homeowners in Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding and Williams Counties, with an Accessibility Needs category, though stair lifts are not named. Call (419) 784-3882.
Loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very low income homeowners age 62 and older in eligible rural areas, which includes most of the county outside the city of Defiance. The program does not mention stair lifts.
A grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own or will own. Stair lifts are not mentioned; the Defiance County Veterans Service Office at (419) 782-6861 can help with the application.
A grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss or loss of use of both hands. Stair lifts are not mentioned in the source.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically needed structural changes. It explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it does not cover a stair lift.
Helps veterans and their families in Defiance County with VA claims and individualized emergency financial aid; no stair lift funding is listed. Call (419) 782-6861 or visit 1300 E. Second St., Suite 102, Defiance.
Serves people of all ages with disabilities in Northwest Ohio, including Defiance County, with items like grab bars, railings and ramps. Stair lifts are not listed; call (419) 885-5733.
Older adults
2155 Arlington Ave., Toledo, 43609
Veterans
1300 E. Second St., Suite 102, Defiance, 43512
It can through the PASSPORT waiver or the Ohio Home Care Waiver, both of which list stair lifts as a covered home modification. You must be Medicaid eligible and meet a nursing-facility level of care. Start with the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio at (800) 472-7277.
PASSPORT is for age 60 and older, but the Ohio Home Care Waiver is open to Medicaid recipients of any age who meet the level-of-care rules. The Ability Center of Greater Toledo also serves people of all ages with disabilities at (419) 885-5733.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans with certain service-connected disabilities may want to ask about the SAH or SHA grants through the Defiance County Veterans Service Office at (419) 782-6861.
Most of the county outside the city of Defiance counts as rural for the USDA Section 504 program. Homeowners 62 and older with very low income may qualify for a grant up to $10,000, though the program does not name stair lifts.
The NOCAC Elderly Home Repair Program does not list stair lifts. It does list handrails, stairwell lighting and grab bars, which can still make stairs safer. Call (419) 784-5393.
The Area Office on Aging of NW Ohio (AAA 4) is at 2155 Arlington Ave., Toledo, 43609, and its office line is (419) 382-0624.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
