Ridgway, St. Marys and Johnsonburg sit down in river valleys, with houses stepped up the hillsides on sloping lots. Out in places like Kersey, Weedville, Wilcox and Byrnedale, homes are often built on more than one level because the ground simply isn't flat. That layout is the starting point for any stair lift conversation in Elk County.
Many of these are older two- and three-story houses that families have owned for a long time. If the stairs have become the hard part of the day, a stair lift can let the owner keep using the whole house instead of moving. Below we cover how local homes and terrain shape the choice of lift, and which programs may help pay for it.
St. Marys was founded in 1842 and was settled largely by Bavarian Roman Catholic immigrants. It still has a good stock of older two- and three-story homes. Ridgway holds the Ridgway Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Older homes like these usually have a full staircase between floors, and many of them run straight from bottom to top. A straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall, so it suits plaster walls and original trim. Stairs with a landing, a turn or winders need a curved rail built to fit that staircase.
The county is described as low rolling hills, carved by frequent drainages and heavily wooded, covering about 832 square miles. Because so many homes sit on slopes, it is common to find split-level homes, walk-up entries and steps between the driveway and the door.
Inside a split-level, a short run of stairs between levels can still be a barrier, and a lift can be fitted to each run that matters. Outside, steps up to a porch or side entry may call for an outdoor unit built for weather. Townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings bring their own questions, such as who owns the stairway and whether the landlord or association must approve the install.
The 2020 Census put the county's median age at 48.0 years, with 22.8% of residents 65 or older. Of 16,836 housing units, 78.1% are owner-occupied, so most people considering a lift own the home they would change.
Owning the house matters because the owner can approve the work directly. It also lines up with programs that require the person to own or live in the home being modified.
Two programs in the source list stair lifts or home modifications as covered. The Pennsylvania Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver covers environmental adaptations, and a stair lift is a standard adaptation under that service when it is medically necessary and in the care plan. The Pennsylvania OPTIONS Program offers a home modifications service for people 60 and older, with no income requirement but a possible sliding-scale co-payment.
The local front door is the Area Agency on Aging. The Elk County Area Agency on Aging (Office of Human Services) is at (814) 776-2191, and the Cameron-Elk-McKean AAA office is at 105 Grace Way Suite 201, St. Marys 15857, phone (814) 887-5537. They assess need and arrange OPTIONS and waiver help.
Veterans can reach the county Veterans' Affairs office at Elk County Courthouse Annex 300 Center Street, Ridgway 15853, phone (814) 776-5370. For help finding funding in general, LIFT serves Elk and five neighboring counties.
A Medicaid waiver that pays for environmental adaptations, including stair lifts, through the enrollee's managed care organization when medically necessary and in the service plan. It is for adults 21 and older with a physical disability who meet nursing-facility level of care; call (866) 550-4355.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older whose physical disability began before age 22; environmental adaptations are authorized case by case, though the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (866) 550-4355.
State-funded in-home services for Pennsylvania residents 60 and older, including a home modifications service that covers stair lifts, with no income requirement but a possible sliding-scale co-payment. Call (717) 783-1550.
The local entry point that assesses need and arranges home-modification funding through OPTIONS and CHC; it has no grant of its own, and whether it covers stair lifts directly is unknown. Call (814) 776-2191.
A VA benefit for home modifications of $6,800 lifetime for service-connected disabilities or $2,000 for other eligible disabilities; per the source, it does not cover stair lifts. Call (877) 222-8387.
Grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 (FY2026); the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (877) 827-3702.
Free advocacy, information and referral for people with disabilities and caregivers in Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter counties; it does not fund stair lifts directly but connects people to funding sources. Call (814) 781-3050.
Older adults
105 Grace Way Suite 201, St. Marys, 15857
Veterans
Elk County Courthouse Annex 300 Center Street, Ridgway, 15853
Call the Elk County Area Agency on Aging (Office of Human Services) at (814) 776-2191 or the Cameron-Elk-McKean AAA in St. Marys at (814) 887-5537. They do the assessment and arrange OPTIONS or CHC waiver help.
Yes, possibly. The Pennsylvania Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver serves adults 21 and older with a physical disability who meet nursing-facility level of care and qualify for Medicaid, and it covers stair lifts as an environmental adaptation.
No. OPTIONS has no income requirement for people 60 and older, but you may pay a sliding-scale co-payment based on income.
According to the source we use, HISA does not cover stair lifts. Veterans can ask the county Veterans' Affairs office in Ridgway at (814) 776-5370 about other options.
Inside, each short run of stairs can get its own lift. For exterior steps on a split-level, an outdoor unit built for weather is usually the fit.
A stair lift rail mounts to the stair treads rather than the wall, which keeps changes to original walls and trim small. Straight stairs take a standard rail, and stairs with turns or landings need a curved rail.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
