Antigo grew up as a lumber and farming town, and you can still see it downtown in the 1902 Carnegie library building, now the Langlade County Historical Society Museum, and the 1879 post office on the National Register of Historic Places. Many houses from that era are multi-story wood-frame homes, and the interior staircase is often the first thing that makes staying put hard.
Outside Antigo, the county spreads across 888 square miles of forest, lakes and rolling ground, including part of the Nicolet National Forest. Homes around Post Lake and White Lake sit far apart, which changes how you plan an install and how you think about service down the road.
Turn-of-the-century Wisconsin mill-town homes usually put the bedrooms upstairs and the bathroom wherever it fit. A straight staircase between floors is the simplest case for a stair lift: the rail mounts to the treads, not the wall, so old plaster and trim stay intact.
If the stairs turn at a landing or wind near the top, which happens in older houses, you need a curved lift built to that specific staircase. We measure first and tell you which type your stairs need before anything is ordered.
Langlade County also has plenty of split-level homes, ranch-style homes and detached single-family houses. Split-levels have short flights between levels, and a person may need a lift on more than one of them.
In a ranch-style home the main living space is often on one floor, so the question is usually the stairs to the basement, where laundry or storage may be. A short straight lift or, where steps outside are the problem, an outdoor lift or a platform lift can make more sense than a full-length unit.
About 58.6% of county residents live in rural areas, and density is just 22.4 people per square mile. If your parent lives out past Post Lake or White Lake, service visits take longer to arrange than they would in Antigo.
That makes reliability and a clear service plan worth asking about up front. Battery-powered lifts keep running through a short power outage, which matters on rural lines, and an outdoor lift for entry steps needs to handle northern Wisconsin winters.
Roughly 25.2% of county residents are 65 or older, and the median age is 49.5. About 65.5% of households own their homes, so many families are deciding how to adapt a house they already own rather than move.
The county population peaked in 1940 and has declined since, and the local economy is limited. That puts more weight on outside funding, and on knowing which programs actually name stair lifts.
The clearest path is the IRIS Medicaid waiver, which lists stair lifts by name as a home modification participants can buy within their budget. Enrollment for IRIS or Family Care starts at the Langlade County ADRC at 1225 Langlade Rd. in Antigo, (715) 627-6232.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. The Langlade County Veterans Service Office at 1225 Langlade Road can walk through what other VA benefits may fit. Statewide options worth asking about include the Community Options Program (COP), WisLoan (WisTech Alternative Loan Program) and the WHEDA Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP).
A self-directed Medicaid waiver with an individualized budget that explicitly lists stair lifts as an eligible home modification; applicants must be 65+ or 18-64 with a disability and need nursing facility level of care. Enrollment runs through the local ADRC, and Midstate Independent Living Choices (MILC) is the county's IRIS Consultant Agency; call (888) 515-4747.
A managed-care alternative to IRIS that can provide home modifications, though the source does not specifically list stair lifts. Call (800) 362-3002 or start through the ADRC.
The required entry point for Langlade County residents applying to IRIS or Family Care, with disability benefit specialist services at 1225 Langlade Road in Antigo. It does not list a direct stair lift grant; call (888) 486-9545.
Federal rural repair aid with grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62+ and loans up to $40,000, for owner-occupied homes in eligible rural areas. Stair lifts are not named; the program mentions accessibility safety issues as possibly covered.
A VA home-modification grant with a $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime maximum depending on disability status, but it explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts. Call (715) 627-6545 for help with VA benefits.
Grants for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026; stair lifts are not named among covered adaptations. Call (715) 627-6545.
A nonprofit center offering advocacy, peer support, skills training and assistive technology referral, and the county's IRIS Consultant Agency; it does not itemize stair lift funding. Call (715) 344-4210.
No-cost energy repairs such as insulation, heating systems and water heaters for income-eligible households; stair lifts and accessibility work are not mentioned. Call (715) 424-2581.
County office at 1225 Langlade Road in Antigo, with Veterans Service Officer Randy Adair, that helps veterans apply for HISA, SAH/SHA and other benefits; it is a referral office, not a funding source. Call (715) 627-6545.
Older adults
1225 Langlade Rd., Antigo, 54409
Veterans
1225 Langlade Road, Antigo, 54409
Stair lifts are listed by name as an eligible home modification under IRIS, paid from the participant's individualized budget. You must need nursing facility level of care, and 2026 limits for a single applicant are about $2,982 a month in income and $2,000 in assets. Start with the Langlade County ADRC at (715) 627-6232.
Yes, IRIS and Family Care both accept adults 18-64 with a physical, developmental or intellectual disability who meet the other requirements.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so call the Langlade County Veterans Service Office at (715) 627-6545 to review his options.
The Section 504 program does not name stair lifts, though it mentions accessibility safety issues as possibly covered. The grant portion, up to $10,000, requires the homeowner to be 62 or older and very-low-income.
Most of the county is rural, so service visits can take longer to schedule. Ask about the service plan before buying, and consider a battery-powered lift that keeps running during short power outages.
Not directly. That program covers energy items like insulation, heating systems and water heaters, and does not mention stair lifts or accessibility work.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
