Taylor County covers about 1,232 square miles of the Big Bend region of North Florida, from the county seat in Perry out to the coast at Steinhatchee. Homes sit far apart here. The county is about 70% rural, and part of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge lies inside its lines.
That spread-out pattern shapes how a stair lift job goes. Most homes are single-family and detached, with manufactured and mobile homes mixed in. The stairs that cause trouble may be inside the house, on a porch, or on the entry steps up to a raised home. We look at all of them before we suggest anything.
Dispersed single-family homes are the most common type in the county. When a house has an indoor staircase that runs straight from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit. It mounts to the stair treads, not the wall.
If the staircase turns at a landing or curves, a curved lift with a custom-bent rail is the answer. We measure on site, because the rail is built to match that one staircase.
Manufactured and mobile homes often have their stairs outside, at the front door or back door. In those homes an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift at the entry may do more good than anything inside.
About 15.3% of the county's area is water, and the land runs from coastal to inland. Near the water, any lift on a porch or exterior steps needs to be an outdoor model built to handle weather.
The 2020 data counted 11,088 housing units, and 26.6% were vacant, which reflects seasonal and rural homes. If a family is getting a part-time house ready for a parent, plan the install before the move so the lift is in and tested on arrival.
Among occupied homes in 2020, 75.9% were owner-occupied, so most people asking about a lift are making changes to a house they own.
Owning the home matters. It means you can approve mounting a rail to your stairs without a landlord's sign-off, and a lift can often be removed later if needs change.
Help here comes mostly from statewide programs plus the regional Area Agency on Aging. None of the programs below promises to pay for a stair lift outright, so it pays to call and ask how your case would be handled.
For people on Medicaid who need nursing-facility level care, the SMMC LTC Home Accessibility Adaptation benefit decides stair lift coverage case by case in the care plan. For adults 60 and older, Advantage Aging Solutions in Tallahassee can screen you and point you toward services; their office line is (850) 488-0055.
Veterans should know the VA HISA grant excludes stair lifts. The routes for a stair lift are VA Prosthetics (PSAS) or the SAH/SHA grant. The Taylor County Veteran's Service Office at 401 Industrial Park Dr. in Perry, (850) 838-3513, can help with the paperwork, and the nearest VA clinic is the Tallahassee VA Clinic.
Two other statewide options are worth asking about: the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption.
A Medicaid managed-care benefit for adults 18 and older who meet Florida Medicaid financial rules, have a CARES assessment showing nursing-facility level of care, and are enrolled in an LTC plan. Whether a stair lift is covered is unknown in general and decided case by case in the care plan; call (877) 711-3662.
A state-funded DOEA program for people 60 and older with an approved adult caregiver in the home, paying a basic subsidy of $160/month, with special subsidies that can fund ramps and home accessibility modifications. Stair lifts are not specifically listed; call (800) 963-5337.
The regional aging agency for 14 counties, including Taylor, which coordinates home and community-based services through local providers for people generally 60 and older. Stair lifts are not listed as a line item; call (866) 467-4624.
A VA home-improvement benefit of $6,800 lifetime for service-connected veterans rated 50%+ or $2,000 lifetime for non-service-connected veterans, for medically necessary home-access changes. HISA does not cover stair lifts or porch/platform lifts; the route for a stair lift is VA Prosthetics/PSAS or the SAH/SHA grant.
Older adults
2414 Mahan Dr., Tallahassee, 32308
Veterans
401 Industrial Park Dr., Perry, 32347
Yes, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can serve entry steps on manufactured and mobile homes, which are common in Taylor County. We check the steps and the ground at the door before recommending one.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair lifts and porch/platform lifts. Ask about VA Prosthetics (PSAS) or the SAH/SHA grant instead, and the Taylor County Veteran's Service Office in Perry at (850) 838-3513 can help.
Under the SMMC LTC Home Accessibility Adaptation benefit, coverage is decided case by case in your care plan. You must be enrolled in an LTC managed care plan and meet nursing-facility level of care. Call (877) 711-3662 to ask.
The Home Care for the Elderly (HCE) Program is a non-Medicaid program for people 60 and older with a caregiver at home, and its special subsidies can fund home accessibility modifications. Advantage Aging Solutions can also screen you; call (866) 467-4624 or (850) 488-0055.
If the lift goes on a porch or exterior steps, it should be an outdoor model made for weather. An indoor lift on an inside staircase is the same choice as anywhere else.
Advantage Aging Solutions (PSA 2) is at 2414 Mahan Dr., Tallahassee, 32308. The phone is (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.
