Madison County covers three towns: Madison, Greenville and Lee. In the city of Madison, the historic downtown district holds antebellum and Victorian-era homes like the 1836 Livingston House, the 1880 Italianate Dial-Goza House and the 1860 Greek Revival Wardlaw-Smith House. Out past downtown, most families live in single-family homes, ranch-style homes and split-level homes.
Each of those home styles puts stairs in a different spot, and that changes which lift makes sense. This page walks through what we look for in Madison County houses, the programs people here can check for help with costs, and who to call locally.
Many of the older homes in Madison's historic district are two-story frame structures in Queen Anne, Classical Revival and Colonial Revival styles. The county has 8 National Register listings. Staircases in homes like these often turn at a landing or wind as they climb.
A stair that turns usually needs a curved stair lift, with a rail built to fit that one staircase. A straight stair with no landing can take a straight lift, which is simpler to install. We measure the stair first so you know which kind you are dealing with before any decision.
A ranch-style home is mostly on one floor, so the problem is often the steps up to the front or back door rather than an inside staircase. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle porch and entry steps.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels. Sometimes one short straight lift solves the trip people make most each day, such as getting to the bedrooms. If there are two or more flights to cover, we talk through which one matters most before quoting anything.
Both groups have specific programs worth checking, which are listed below.
Around 55.3 percent of residents own their homes. If you rent, get the owner's written permission before a lift goes in, since installation attaches a rail to the stairs.
Florida Medicaid's long-term care program lists home accessibility adaptation as a service, but it does not name stair lifts, so approval is decided case by case by your plan's care manager. Advantage Aging Solutions in Tallahassee can explain that program and other options. Their office line is (850) 488-0055.
For veterans, the VA HISA grant does not pay for stair lifts, which the VA calls stair glides. Madison County Veterans' Services at 229 SW Pinckney St., Room 215, in Madison can help you sort through other VA benefits. Call (850) 973-3208. The nearest listed VA clinic is the Sergeant Ernest I. "Boots" Thomas VA Clinic in Tallahassee.
Other statewide options to ask about include the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption. Details on each program follow.
Florida Medicaid's long-term care program, run by AHCA, for people 65 and older or 18 and older with a qualifying disability who meet Medicaid financial rules and need nursing-facility level of care. Home accessibility adaptation is a listed service, but stair lifts are not named, so your plan's care manager decides case by case.
A national VA benefit for medically necessary home improvements for veterans with a service-connected or non-service-connected disability. The VA excludes stair lifts (stair glides) from HISA because it treats them as removable equipment.
The aging and disability resource center for 14 North Florida counties, including Madison, offering information, referral and Medicaid long-term care options counseling. It does not fund home modifications directly but refers callers to programs that may; call (866) 467-4624.
Older adults
2414 Mahan Dr., Tallahassee, 32308
Veterans
229 SW Pinckney St., Room 215, Madison, 32340
It might. The SMMC Long-Term Care Program covers home accessibility adaptation, but stair lifts are not listed by name, so your plan's care manager decides case by case. You must be enrolled in a long-term care plan to ask.
The SMMC Long-Term Care Program also serves adults 18 and older with a qualifying disability, as long as they meet Medicaid financial rules and need nursing-facility level of care.
No. The VA excludes stair glides from HISA. Madison County Veterans' Services at (850) 973-3208 can go over other VA benefits that may apply.
Usually, yes. Many of these homes have stairs that turn at a landing, which calls for a curved lift built to that staircase. We measure first to confirm.
In a one-floor ranch house, the trouble spot is often the entry steps. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can cover those.
Advantage Aging Solutions, the area agency on aging that serves Madison County, can be reached at (866) 467-4624 or at its office line, (850) 488-0055.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
