Some of the oldest houses in Washakie County go back to the homestead years, like the Ainsworth House, a vernacular cabin built 1886 to 1911 and cited as one of the first permanent houses in the Bighorn Basin. Worland's 1917 Worland House bungalow and the 1929 Emerson Parks log house come from the same small wood-frame and log tradition. Homes of that age often have tight, steep staircases and narrow landings.
Most families here live in Worland, on the Big Horn River at 4,065 feet, or out toward Ten Sleep on the climb into the Bighorns. The nearest larger medical and senior-care centers are a long drive out of the basin. For many households, fitting the stairs in the current home is more practical than moving.
A straight staircase with a clear run from bottom to top usually takes a straight-rail lift. Many older wood-frame and log houses in the county do not have that. Steep treads, a turn at a narrow landing, or a tight stairwell call for a curved or narrow-rail lift built to the shape of your stairs.
We measure every step, the landing and the space at the top and bottom before suggesting a model. In a small house the question is often whether a folded seat leaves enough room for others to use the stairs, and that is something we check in person.
The county's housing also includes single-family homes, ranch-style homes, split-level homes and walk-up apartments. A ranch-style home may have everything on one floor but still have steps at the entry or down to a basement. Those short runs can sometimes be handled with an outdoor lift or a platform lift.
Split-level homes have several short flights rather than one long one. Depending on the layout, that can mean one curved rail that follows the turns or separate lifts on the flights used most. In a walk-up apartment, the building owner's permission comes first, so it helps to ask before scheduling a visit.
The mountains shelter the basin so well that Worland is the least windy municipality in Wyoming. That does not remove the need for a weather-rated lift outside, but it is one less thing working against an exterior installation on porch or deck steps.
Out on basin ranchland, the entry steps are often the first barrier, not the inside staircase. We look at both when we visit so you are not solving one problem and leaving another.
That means many families here are either planning for a parent's stairs now or will be soon. Veterans in the household may have access to VA housing grants worth asking about, covered below.
Several programs help Wyoming homeowners adapt a home, but none of the sources we reviewed name stair lifts as a covered item. That does not always mean no. It means you should ask the program directly before counting on it.
For Medicaid waiver questions and other senior services, start with the Aging Division in Cheyenne at (307) 777-7986. Veterans can reach the Veteran Service Officers for Hot Springs, Park, Big Horn and Washakie counties in Cody at (307) 250-3890.
Other statewide resources worth asking about include the Wyoming Technology Access Program (WyTAP), VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), the Wyoming Home Services Program (WyHS) and the Wyoming Property Tax Refund Program.
This Medicaid waiver service pays for home adaptations such as ramps, grab bars, wider doorways and bathroom changes, up to a $20,000 lifetime cap per family, for seniors 65+ or people ages 19-64 with a qualifying disability who are enrolled in the CCW. Stair lifts are not listed among the examples; the Aging Division at (307) 777-7986 can point you to the right contact.
CCW participants can receive equipment that improves daily function, up to a $4,000 annual limit, with a professional evaluation required for items over $1,000. Stair lifts are not listed among the named examples, and Medicaid State Plan, Medicare and other insurance must be billed first.
Very-low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas can borrow up to $40,000 for repairs, and homeowners age 62+ can receive grants up to $10,000 to remove health and safety hazards. The source does not mention stair lifts or accessibility changes specifically.
Veterans with a qualifying severe service-connected disability, such as loss or loss of use of more than one limb, may receive up to $126,526 (FY2026) to adapt a home they or a qualifying family member own. The VA describes ramps and wider doorways but does not mention stair lifts; call the Veteran Service Officers in Cody at (307) 250-3890.
Veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss or loss of use of both hands, or certain severe burns or respiratory injuries, may receive up to $25,350 (FY2026) for home adaptations. Stair lifts are not named in the source; the Veteran Service Officers in Cody at (307) 250-3890 can help with an application.
Older adults
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 259B, Cheyenne, 82002
Veterans
1026 Blackburn Ave. Ste. 1, Cody, 82414
The Community Choices Waiver covers environmental modifications and assistive technology, but stair lifts are not named among the examples. Ask your case manager or call the Aging Division at (307) 777-7986 before planning around it.
The Community Choices Waiver includes people ages 19-64 with a qualifying disability, not just seniors 65+. USDA Section 504 grants are limited to homeowners 62 and older, though the repair loans have no such age limit.
Under the CCW Environmental Modifications rules, the case manager must not obtain quotes before the Division approves the project scope. Prior authorization is also required, so start with the application.
Usually yes. Steep, narrow stairs and tight landings are the kind of layout curved and narrow-rail lifts are built for, and we measure in person to confirm.
The Veteran Service Officers serving Hot Springs, Park, Big Horn and Washakie counties are at 1026 Blackburn Ave. Ste. 1 in Cody, phone (307) 250-3890.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
