Towanda is a National Register historic district, and about 32.3% of homes across Bradford County were built before 1940. From the Victorian-era borough houses in Towanda, Athens and Sayre to the two-story farmhouses outside Troy, Canton and Wyalusing, many of these homes still have their original staircases. Those stairs tend to be steep and narrow.
For an older owner, that staircase often becomes the reason people start talking about moving. A stair lift lets someone keep the bedroom and bathroom upstairs and stay in the house they know. This page walks through what Bradford County homes mean for the type of lift you need and which local and state programs may help with the cost.
Detached single-family homes make up about 71.6% of the county's housing, and most of them are two-story. If the staircase runs in one straight line from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so original plaster and woodwork stay intact.
Many older farmhouses and Victorian-era houses have a landing, a turn, or winder steps partway up. Those need a curved rail built to the exact shape of your stairs. We measure the staircase at your home before recommending either type, because steep, narrow original stairs leave less room to work with.
Bradford County sits in the Endless Mountains, with land dropping from 2,438 feet at Armenia Mountain to about 694 feet along the Susquehanna at Towanda. Homes along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, the Chemung River, and Sugar, Towanda, Wappasening and Wyalusing creeks often sit on sloped lots. That usually means raised foundations and more than one set of interior stairs.
Getting into the house can be as hard as getting upstairs. For porch or entry steps, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift may solve the problem, and a platform lift also works for someone who uses a wheelchair. Manufactured homes in the county frequently have the same issue with entry steps even when everything inside is on one level.
About 21.3% of county residents are 65 or older, and 71.8% of households own their homes. Many of those owners have lived in the same house for decades and would rather adapt it than leave it. Since they own, they can usually make changes like a stair lift without asking anyone's permission.
If that includes your parent, Bradford County Veterans Affairs at 200 Main Street, Suite 4, Towanda, can help sort out VA benefits. Their number is (570) 265-1704.
The clearest source of coverage is Pennsylvania's Community HealthChoices (CHC) Medicaid waiver, which lists stair glides among covered equipment for people who qualify. For people 60 and over who are not on Medicaid, the OPTIONS Program funds home adaptations for safety and accessibility, though it does not name stair lifts specifically.
A good first call for most families is the B/S/S/T Area Agency on Aging in Towanda at (570) 265-6121. It handles intake for both OPTIONS and CHC home-adaptation funding. Veterans, people with disabilities and income-eligible homeowners have other options, listed below. Statewide, the PA Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is another place to ask.
A Medicaid waiver for people who are financially eligible for Medicaid and need a nursing facility level of care, generally age 21 and up. It explicitly covers stair glides as removable equipment; ask your CHC service coordinator to add it to your service plan, or call (800) 274-3258.
State-funded in-home help for Pennsylvania residents 60 and over with no income requirement, though a sliding co-pay may apply. It includes home adaptations to improve safety and accessibility but does not name stair lifts; apply through the B/S/S/T AAA, or reach the state at (717) 783-1550.
The local entry point for residents 60 and over, handling assessments, care management and connection to OPTIONS and CHC home-adaptation funding. It does not publish its own stair lift benefit; the Bradford office is at 220 Main Street, Unit 2, Towanda, phone (570) 265-6121.
A Scranton-based nonprofit serving people with disabilities in Bradford County, offering home-modification assistance and help finding funding. Stair lifts are not listed in its directory entry, so call (570) 344-7211 to ask.
Federal grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home, up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA). A stair lift is not specifically named and would only be funded as part of an approved adaptation plan; call (800) 827-1000.
Housing rehabilitation funds for low- to moderate-income owner-occupants that can address accessibility barriers such as ramps and doorway widening. Stair lifts are not named on the program page.
A community action agency offering weatherization, homeownership and housing help to income-eligible Bradford County residents. Accessibility and stair lift coverage is not published, so confirm by calling (570) 265-2070.
Older adults
220 Main St., Towanda, 18848
Veterans
200 Main Street, Suite 4, Towanda, 18848
It can, through the Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver. CHC lists stair glides among covered removable equipment for people who are Medicaid-eligible and need a nursing facility level of care. The service coordinator has to add it to the person-centered service plan. The CHC number is (800) 274-3258.
The OPTIONS Program has no minimum income requirement and covers home adaptations to improve safety and accessibility, with a possible sliding co-pay. It does not name stair lifts, so ask during the assessment. Start with the B/S/S/T Area Agency on Aging at (570) 265-6121.
Not directly. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts and would only fund one as part of an approved adaptation plan, and the VA HISA grant excludes stair lifts. Bradford County Veterans Affairs at (570) 265-1704 can help you look at what fits your situation.
Often, yes. Rails mount to the stair treads, and a curved rail can be built for stairs with landings or turns. We measure your staircase in person before recommending a lift.
CHC can cover stair glides for renters too, but the renter needs the landlord's permission. Get that agreement before the service coordinator adds the lift to the plan.
The B/S/S/T Area Agency on Aging's Bradford office is at 220 Main Street, Unit 2, Towanda, PA 18848. Call (570) 265-6121.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
