Berwick grew up on the north bank of the Susquehanna River as a mill town, home to the American Car and Foundry Company. Rows of two-story double houses went up there in the first half of the 20th century for the people who worked those jobs. Many of those homes are still lived in today, and the bedrooms are still upstairs.
Bloomsburg, the county seat, and the smaller places around it, from Catawissa and Millville to Benton, Orange and Lime Ridge, share a lot of that older, multistory housing. Add the ridges and sloped lots that run across the county's 35 towns, and stairs become the main thing standing between many owners and staying put. This page walks through what that means for a stair lift and where to look for help paying for one.
A two-story duplex or single-family home with one straight run of stairs is the simplest install we see. A straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall, so plaster walls in older homes are usually left alone.
Narrow stairways are common in the Berwick double houses and in older homes in Bloomsburg. We measure the width, the landing space at the top and bottom, and where the rail would end so it does not block a doorway. Those three measurements decide most of what comes next.
Columbia County sits in ridge-and-valley country, and many homes are built on sloped lots with split-level or multistory layouts. A split-level often has short flights in two or three places, and a stairway that turns at a landing needs a curved rail or two separate straight units.
A curved rail is built to the shape of your stairs, so it takes longer to order than a straight one. Two straight lifts on either side of a landing can work when there is room to step from one chair to the other safely. We look at both options during the visit.
On a hillside lot, the hardest climb is sometimes outside, from the driveway or sidewalk up to the front door. Outdoor stair lifts are built for weather, and a platform lift can be the better fit for someone who uses a wheelchair.
Townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings raise a different question: who owns the stairs. In a shared stairwell, the building owner or landlord has to approve the install before any work starts.
About 20.2% of the county's 66,819 residents are 65 or older, and in Berwick the figure is 19.2%. With 69.0% of households owning their homes, many people are retiring in houses they have lived in for a long time.
If that includes you or your parent, the VA programs below are worth a call before you pay out of pocket.
The best single starting point is the Columbia-Montour AAA at 26 E. Main St., Bloomsburg 17815, (570) 784-9272. They assess need and connect older adults to OPTIONS, Community HealthChoices and other funding.
Medicaid-eligible residents enrolled in Community HealthChoices may get home adaptations, including stair lifts, if the modification is in their service plan and prior-authorized. Veterans can reach the county Veterans' Affairs office at 16 West Main Street, Suite 380, Bloomsburg, (570) 387-6501, and ask about VA grants and HISA. The PA Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is another statewide resource to ask about.
A Medicaid home and community-based waiver that covers stair lifts as a home adaptation when it is recommended in the service plan and prior-authorized, for Medicaid-eligible residents 21 or older who meet nursing-facility level of care. Call (844) 824-3655.
In-home services for Pennsylvanians 60 or older with unmet daily-living needs, with home modifications offered as a supplemental service that varies by local agency; stair lift coverage is not confirmed. There is no income limit, though a sliding-scale co-payment may apply; call (717) 783-1550.
The county Area Agency on Aging for Columbia and Montour Counties, which assesses older adults and connects them to OPTIONS, CHC and other funding; its listing does not mention stair lifts directly. Call (570) 784-9272.
A federally funded program that makes physical modifications to homes or apartments for low-income residents with permanent disabilities; stair lifts are not specifically mentioned. Call (570) 784-9373.
A nonprofit center offering home modifications and independent-living services for people of all ages and disabilities, funded case by case through grants; stair lifts are not specifically listed and Columbia County coverage should be confirmed. Call (570) 327-9070.
Federal grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, applied for with VA Form 26-4555; stair lifts are not specifically mentioned. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
26 E. Main St., Bloomsburg, 17815
Veterans
16 West Main Street, Suite 380, Bloomsburg, 17815
Often it can, because a straight stair lift attaches to the stair treads rather than the wall. We measure the stair width and the space at the top and bottom landings to confirm before anything is ordered.
You can use a curved rail built to fit your stairs, or in some homes two straight lifts, one for each flight. Which one works depends on the landing size and how safely the rider can move from one chair to the next.
OPTIONS and the Area Agency on Aging generally serve people 60 and older. Community HealthChoices starts at age 21 for Medicaid-eligible residents who meet nursing-facility level of care, and Roads to Freedom CILNCP serves people of all ages with disabilities.
No. Financial information is used only to set any sliding-scale co-payment. Home modifications are a supplemental service, and what is available varies by local agency, so call the Columbia-Montour AAA at (570) 784-9272.
Contact the county Veterans' Affairs office in Bloomsburg at (570) 387-6501 or the VA at (800) 827-1000. Ask about the SAH and SHA grants and about HISA through VA prosthetics.
Start with the Columbia-Montour AAA at 26 E. Main St. in Bloomsburg, (570) 784-9272. They do assessments and can point you to OPTIONS, CHC or other funding sources.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
