Calhoun County covers about 280.4 square miles of rolling, hilly ground cut through by the Little Kanawha River. Grantsville is the county seat and the only town of any size. Many people live well outside it, on steep, narrow rural roads in dispersed farmhouses.
That distance shapes how people here age. A trip down the mountain to a single-story facility is a big change, and contractor and EMS response times run long. So getting up and down the stairs at home safely matters more here than in a lot of places. This page walks through which stair lifts fit the county's homes and which programs to call about paying for one.
The region's older two-story farmhouses often put the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs, reached by a single interior stairway. That is the layout that most often makes a stair lift a real need rather than a convenience.
If that stairway runs straight from bottom to top with no landing or turn, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so older plaster walls are not a problem. Stairs that turn, wind, or stop at a landing need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the staircase.
Not every home here is a farmhouse. The county also has single-family and detached houses, split-level homes, ranch-style homes and walk-up apartments, and each one raises its own questions.
A split-level has short flights between floors, so we look at which flight the person actually uses every day. A ranch-style home may have only a few steps to the door or down to a lower level. In a walk-up apartment, the stairway is often shared, so the owner or landlord has to sign off before anything is installed.
On hilly ground, the hardest stairs are sometimes outside: porch steps or a run of steps from the driveway to the door. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather and can run along those steps.
When steps are too steep or uneven for a seat, or when a wheelchair has to come along, a platform lift is the other option. We measure on site before recommending either one, because hillside steps vary so much from one house to the next.
With so many households aging in place far from town, a stair lift is often what lets someone keep using the whole house.
Veterans should know up front that the VA HISA grant does not pay for stair lifts. The Spencer – Veterans Assistance Office at 216 Market Street, Suite 301, Spencer, WV 25276, phone (304) 927-0980, can explain what VA benefits may apply.
The county's poverty rate is roughly 33%, about double the statewide rate, and median household income sits well below the state average. For most local seniors, that makes grant and waiver programs the realistic path rather than paying out of pocket.
None of the programs below names stair lifts in its published materials, so the only way to know is to ask. Call, describe the stairs and the person's needs, and ask whether a stair lift can be part of the plan. The regional aging office, Region III - WVDA Southern AAA at 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston, WV 25305, can be reached at (304) 340-3501. The West Virginia Technology-Related Assistance Revolving Loan Fund is another statewide resource worth asking about.
A Medicaid waiver benefit for physical changes to the home that improve access to and within it, for residents 18+ who qualify for Medicaid and nursing-home level of care; stair lifts are not named in the program description. Call (866) 767-1575.
A statewide program for people 60+ at imminent risk of nursing facility admission that funds home modifications and accessibility devices in general terms; stair lifts are not mentioned specifically. Applications are through the ADRC at (866) 981-2372.
The local aging office, with two centers in Grantsville, and a good first call for referrals; its listed information does not mention stair lifts or home-modification grants. Call (304) 354-7017.
Repair loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners, with grants limited to those 62+ and funds required to remove health and safety hazards; stair lifts are not listed by name. All of Calhoun County is rural and USDA-eligible.
A VA grant for structural home changes, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status, that explicitly does not cover stair glides or other removable equipment. For VA questions, call the Spencer office at (304) 927-0980.
A state-funded program for people with disabilities in a 16-county area that includes Calhoun County, providing assistive devices, home modifications and ramps; stair lifts are not mentioned and there is a waiting list. Call (304) 965-0376.
Older adults
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston, 25305
Veterans
216 Market Street, Suite 301, Spencer, 25276
Yes, possibly. The Aged and Disabled Waiver starts at age 18 for people who meet Medicaid and nursing-home level of care rules, and the ACIL Community Living Services Program serves people with disabilities in Calhoun County regardless of age. Neither names stair lifts, so ask directly.
Not through the HISA grant. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides and other removable equipment from HISA. The Spencer – Veterans Assistance Office at (304) 927-0980 can talk through other VA benefits.
The location will not hold you back, since all of Calhoun County is rural and USDA-eligible. Grants up to $10,000 go to very-low-income homeowners 62 or older who own and live in the home, and the money must remove health and safety hazards.
The Calhoun County Committee On Aging in Grantsville at (304) 354-7017 is the local starting point. For the state home modification program, call the ADRC at (866) 981-2372.
Yes. A turn or landing calls for a curved rail made to fit that staircase, instead of a straight rail. We measure the stairs in the home to see which type fits.
Often, but in a shared stairway the building owner or landlord has to approve it first. Get that permission before scheduling a measurement.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
