Drive west from the beach in Fort Lauderdale toward Weston or Southwest Ranches and you pass through most of what Broward County was built on: drained Everglades land that filled with suburban tracts after the county formed in 1915. Most of those inland streets are lined with single-story, concrete-block ranch homes, and many of them have no stairs at all.
The stairs show up elsewhere. Multi-story coastal condominiums, townhouses in places like Pembroke Pines and Coral Springs, walk-up apartments, and canal-front homes near Fort Lauderdale's waterways are where families in Broward's 36 towns tend to call us. This page explains which lift fits which home and where to look for help paying for it.
Often you don't, and we will tell you so. A one-level concrete-block ranch in Tamarac or Margate usually needs grab bars or a ramp more than a lift.
Where a lift can still matter is at the entry. If there are steps up to the front door, a back patio, or a lanai, an outdoor stair lift or a small platform lift may be the right call. We look at the full path from the driveway to the bedroom before suggesting anything.
Two-story townhouses are the most common home in Broward where an indoor lift makes sense. When the staircase runs in one straight line, a straight stair lift is the simplest and quickest option to install.
Stairs that turn at a landing or wrap around a corner need a curved lift, which is built to the exact shape of the staircase. In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, the stairs are often shared or outside, so the building owner or association usually has to approve the work first. We can help you gather what they will ask for.
Canal-front homes near Fort Lauderdale's waterways sometimes have steps down to a dock, a raised entry, or exterior stairs to an upper floor. Those spots call for an outdoor stair lift, which is made to handle sun and rain.
If the person using it relies on a wheelchair, a chair lift will not solve the problem. A platform lift carries the wheelchair itself, and it needs more space, so we measure carefully before quoting it.
About 17.6% of Broward residents are 65 or older, and 63.6% of households own their home. For owners, that means the decision about a lift usually rests with the family, not a landlord.
The Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic in Sunrise/Tamarac and Broward County Veterans Services in Fort Lauderdale are the local starting points for veteran benefits.
No program listed here promises to pay for a stair lift, so it helps to know what each one actually says. Medicaid long-term care and the Area Agency on Aging home repair program do not name stair lifts either way, which means you have to ask. The VA HISA grant excludes them, but VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service is a separate path for veterans.
For a single place to start, call the Area Agency on Aging of Broward County / ADRC (PSA 10) at (954) 745-9567. Veterans can call Broward County Veterans Services at (954) 357-6622. Statewide, the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption are also worth asking about when you plan the budget.
This Medicaid benefit is for people who need a nursing-facility level of care, meet Medicaid LTC income and asset limits, and are enrolled in an SMMC LTC plan; stair lifts are not named either way, so coverage is decided by the plan case by case. Call (800) 963-5337 to ask.
HISA helps eligible veterans with medically justified structural changes, but it explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts. A stair glide may be furnished through VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service on a medical-necessity basis; call (800) 827-1000.
This program offers carpentry, plumbing, electrical and other minor health and safety repairs for owner-occupied Broward homes of people age 60+, with priority to low-income older adults; stair lifts are not named on the program page. Work is done through the Home Touch Program and Rebuilding Together Broward, and the number is (954) 745-9779.
Older adults
5300 Hiatus Rd., Sunrise, 33351
Veterans
2995 N. Dixie Highway, Fort Lauderdale, 33334
It might, but nothing guarantees it. The SMMC LTC Home Accessibility Adaptation benefit does not name stair lifts, and coverage depends on your managed care plan. Call (800) 963-5337 and ask your plan directly.
Not through the HISA grant, which excludes stair glides. A stair glide may be provided through VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service if it is medically necessary. Ask at the Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic in Sunrise/Tamarac or call (800) 827-1000.
The Area Agency on Aging of Broward County runs a Home Repair Program for owner-occupied homes of people age 60+, with priority to low-income older adults. Stair lifts are not listed, so call (954) 745-9779 to ask what they can do for your home.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior stairs. In a condo or walk-up building, the association or owner usually has to approve it before installation, so check with them first.
The Area Agency on Aging of Broward County / ADRC (PSA 10) at 5300 Hiatus Rd., Sunrise, can be reached at (954) 745-9567. Veterans can also contact Broward County Veterans Services at 2995 N. Dixie Highway, Fort Lauderdale, at (954) 357-6622.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
