From the river towns of Duncannon, Marysville and Liverpool to farm country around Blain, Landisburg and Ickesburg, Perry County is full of houses built long before anyone planned for a first-floor bedroom. Many are century-old family farmhouses and small-town homes with steep, narrow original staircases, often on stone foundations.
This page covers what those homes mean for a stair lift, which type tends to fit, and where Perry County families can turn for help with the cost. If you are weighing a stair lift for yourself or a parent, it should give you a clear starting point before we ever measure a step.
Early houses here were built of native limestone and sandstone, and later ones went up in wood frame on stone foundations once sawmills spread after settlement opened in 1755. The county still has many historic structures. In these homes the staircase is often steep, tight and original to the house.
A straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall, so plaster and stone walls usually are not a problem. Where a farmhouse stair turns at a landing or winds near the top, a curved rail built to that staircase is the usual answer. We look at width, pitch and the space at top and bottom before recommending either one.
Not every home in the county is a farmhouse. Split-level homes have short runs of stairs between floors, and a lift on the run to the bedrooms can matter most. Ranch-style homes often have just one flight to a basement where the laundry sits.
Walk-up apartments are a different case, since a shared stairway needs the owner's approval before anything is installed. If you rent, talk with the building owner first and we can explain what the installation involves.
Perry County is ridge-and-valley country, about 556 sq mi, with the Susquehanna River along almost all of its eastern edge and the Juniata River coming in from the north. The land climbs to 2,269 ft ASL at its highest point. Homes on hillsides and creek banks often have a run of steps just to reach the door.
For those entries, an outdoor stair lift built for weather or a platform lift for a wheelchair can be the piece that keeps the house usable. With 93.5% of residents living in rural areas and long drives to most services, staying in a familiar home is often the more practical choice.
About 20.2% of Perry County residents are 65 or older, and 82.2% of households own their homes. That is a lot of people living in houses they own and want to keep, often on stairs that get harder each year.
If that includes someone in your family, the county Veteran Affairs office at 25 W. Main Street in New Bloomfield, (717) 582-5133, is a good first call about VA housing grants.
The clearest route for people on Medicaid is the Community HealthChoices waiver, which lists stair lifts among accessibility modifications. For people 60 and older, the Perry County AAA at 112 Centre Dr. in New Bloomfield runs the assessment for the OPTIONS program, which can include home modifications.
Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities may look at the VA SAH and SHA grants. Other groups listed below offer planning help, repairs or home modification support, but not every one pays for a stair lift, so ask each one directly.
A Medicaid home and community waiver for Pennsylvanians 21 or older who need a nursing-facility level of care; its accessibility modifications explicitly include stair lifts, approved case by case through your CHC plan. Call (800) 757-5042.
State-funded in-home services for residents 60 or older, with a sliding co-payment based on income and home modifications listed as a supplemental service; the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (717) 582-5128.
The county's entry point for senior in-home services, including the assessment that sets needs and cost share for OPTIONS; whether it funds a stair lift is not known, so ask during the assessment. Call (717) 582-5128.
Certified Aging in Place Specialists offer technical help and coordination for home modifications for people with disabilities in Perry and nearby counties; it is not a grant fund and stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (717) 731-1900.
Federal grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY 2026; stair lifts are not listed in the source. Call (800) 827-1000.
A nonprofit offering free minor repairs and limited modifications for low-income homeowners in Perry and nearby counties, mostly around National Rebuilding Day; it does not cover stair lifts. Call (717) 545-8747.
A county-administered repair program for owner-occupants within income limits that includes modifications for mobility-impaired residents, subject to funding and waitlists; stair lifts are not listed in the source.
Older adults
112 Centre Dr., New Bloomfield, 17068
Veterans
25 W. Main Street, New Bloomfield, 17068
Often it can. The rail mounts to the stair treads, so stone and plaster walls are rarely an issue, and turning stairs can take a curved rail. Steep, narrow original staircases are common in Perry County, and we measure each one before recommending a lift.
The Community HealthChoices waiver lists stair lifts among home accessibility modifications for people 21 or older who are on Medicaid and need a nursing-facility level of care. Approval is case by case and must be medically necessary. Call (800) 757-5042.
Call the Perry County AAA at (717) 582-5128. It does the assessment for the OPTIONS program, which can include home modifications, and there is no hard income cutoff to apply.
Start with the county Veteran Affairs office in New Bloomfield at (717) 582-5133. The VA SAH and SHA grants serve veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities; the VA line is (800) 827-1000.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts and platform lifts are made for entry steps. On Perry County's hillside and creekside lots, the outside steps are often the first place a lift is needed.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
