Kenton grew up around a public square anchored by the Hardin County Courthouse and a 1905 Carnegie library building. The North Main-North Detroit Street Historic District still holds the city's older near-north-side houses, many of them multi-story homes from the late 1800s and early 1900s with the bedrooms upstairs.
Beyond Kenton, people live in villages like Ada, Forest, Dunkirk, Alger, Mount Victory and McGuffey, and on farmsteads with rural houses of about the same age. When the only full bathroom or the main bedroom sits at the top of a steep flight, a stair lift is often the simplest way to keep using the whole house.
Most homes here are single-family and detached houses, and many of the older ones have a single straight staircase to the second floor. A straight stair lift is usually the quickest install for that layout, since the rail runs one length from bottom to top.
Some late-1800s and early-1900s houses have a landing, a turn near the top, or narrow treads. Those stairs usually need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the staircase, so we measure every step before anything is ordered.
Split-level homes and townhouses bring their own puzzles. A split-level may have several short flights rather than one long one, so we look at which flight is the real daily barrier before recommending anything.
Hardin County covers 471 square miles of mostly farm country, and Kenton is its only city. On a farmstead, the hardest steps are often the ones from the drive or porch into the house, not the ones inside.
An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather on exterior steps. Where a chair does not suit the person, a platform lift can carry someone who stays in a wheelchair. We can look at both during the same visit.
At the 2020 census, 17.2% of Hardin County residents were 65 or older, and 71.3% of occupied homes were owner-occupied. That means most people weighing a stair lift own the house and can make the decision themselves.
The county's population has declined since its 1980 peak, and older residents are spread across small towns and farms rather than clustered near services. Planning the install, the funding paperwork and any follow-up visits ahead of time saves extra trips out to a rural address.
The Hardin County Veterans Service Office at One Court House Square, Suite 120 in Kenton can be reached at (419) 674-2219.
The clearest local route is PASSPORT, the Ohio Medicaid waiver run through the Area Office on Aging of NW Ohio (AAA 3) in Lima. Its service list includes Minor Home Modification and Home Medical Equipment and Supplies, which is the line PASSPORT care plans use for equipment like a stair lift. Call (419) 222-7723 to ask about an assessment.
Several other programs help with repairs or care but do not mention stair lifts, so ask them directly before counting on them. Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, while the larger VA housing grants serve veterans with severe service-connected disabilities.
The program list below gives each option, what it covers based on its own published information, and who to call.
An Ohio Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older who need nursing-facility level of care but can be cared for at home; its services include Minor Home Modification, which is how care plans fund equipment like a stair lift. The in-home assessment is free; call AAA3 at (419) 222-7723.
This waiver pays a certified assisted living facility for services provided inside that facility, and stair lifts are not listed. It is not a funding source for modifying a private home; call (419) 222-7723 with questions.
Serves Hardin County residents 60 and older with transportation, chore and homemaker help, information and referral, and outreach, mostly on a donation basis. Stair lifts and home modifications are not listed; call (419) 673-1102.
Offers income-based weatherization and minor home repair for low to low-moderate income households in Hancock, Hardin, Wyandot and Putnam counties. Stair lifts are not mentioned; call (419) 423-3755.
An application-based critical home repair program for homeowners in Marion, Hardin, Wyandot and Morrow counties. Stair lifts and accessibility work are not mentioned; call (740) 383-2007.
A lifetime VA benefit of $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary home alterations. It explicitly does not cover stair glides, porch lifts or portable ramps.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities: SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026, with smaller amounts for adapting a family member's home. Stair lifts are not named on the VA page.
Repair loans up to $20,000 and grants up to $7,500 for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to owners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan. Stair lifts are not named; call (614) 255-2400.
Older adults
2423 Allentown Road, Lima, 45805
Veterans
One Court House Square, Suite 120, Kenton, 43326
Usually, yes. A straight staircase takes a straight rail, and stairs with a landing or turn take a curved rail built to fit. We measure the stairs in the home before recommending either.
PASSPORT, the Ohio Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older, includes Minor Home Modification and Home Medical Equipment in its services. Eligibility depends on income and a level-of-care assessment, which is free. Call the Area Office on Aging of NW Ohio (AAA 3) at (419) 222-7723.
No. The VA HISA page specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. For other veteran options, contact the Hardin County Veterans Service Office in Kenton at (419) 674-2219.
The local aging programs here start at 60. The HHWP CAC repair program and Buckeye Ridge Habitat for Humanity's Critical Home Repair Program do not list an age limit, though neither mentions stair lifts, so call them to ask.
Outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps like porches, and a platform lift is an option for someone who uses a wheelchair. We can check the steps during a home visit.
Its services list covers transportation, chore and homemaker help, and referrals, with no stair lifts or home modifications. It can still be a useful call for referrals at (419) 673-1102.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
