Newton County spreads its people across small towns like Kentland, Morocco, Brook, Goodland, Roselawn, Lake Village and Thayer, with farmsteads and rural crossroads filling the land in between. Many of the older single-family and farm homes here have a full staircase to a second floor, and that staircase is often where trouble starts.
A stair lift lets someone keep using the whole house instead of moving the bedroom to the living room. This page walks through how the county's homes and rural layout affect the kind of lift that fits, and which programs may help with the cost.
The housing here is mostly owner-occupied single-family homes, ranch-style homes, split-level homes and some low-rise buildings. An older farmhouse or town home with one straight run of stairs to the second floor is usually the simplest job. A straight rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster walls and old trim are left alone.
Ranch-style homes often hide the stairs in the basement. If the laundry or a family room is down there, a straight lift on the basement stairs can matter as much as one going up.
Split-level homes are different. They tend to have short flights broken by landings, which can call for a curved rail that follows the turns, or separate straight lifts on each flight. We measure each flight before recommending either one.
The county covers about 402 square miles in the northwestern corner of Indiana, bounded in part by the Kankakee River, with the Iroquois River running through it. Old Beaver Lake, once Indiana's largest lake, is now farmland. That spread-out geography means home-modification contractors and aging services based outside the county can take longer to reach you, so it pays to plan before a fall forces the issue.
Farm homes often have a set of steps up to the back or side door. An outdoor stair lift built for weather can handle that entry. Where a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift may be the better fit than a seat.
About 19.0% of Newton County residents are 65 or older, and 82.1% of households own their homes. Owners can install a lift without needing a landlord's permission, which is one reason stair lifts are a common fix here.
The county Veteran's Service Office in Morocco can be reached at (888) 663-9866 for help sorting out VA benefits, though as noted below, one well-known VA grant does not cover stair lifts.
The most direct route for many older residents is the Indiana PathWays for Aging Waiver, which lists home modifications as a covered service for people 60 and older who qualify for Medicaid and need a nursing-facility level of care. CoAction, the Area Agency on Aging in Crown Point, is the local entry point for that waiver.
Low-income homeowners may also look at USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, and at any Indiana CDBG Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation award the county or its towns may hold. Other statewide options worth asking about include the CHOICE Program and the INDATA Alternative Financing Program (AFP). The program list below explains what each one says about stair lifts.
A Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older who meet nursing-facility level of care and Indiana Medicaid income and asset limits; home modifications and a home modification assessment are covered services. Confirm stair lift coverage and any dollar limits with your assigned managed care care manager.
The Area Agency on Aging for Newton County, based at 5240 Fountain Drive in Crown Point, handles intake and referrals for waiver and in-home services; stair lifts are not listed as a direct benefit. Call (219) 794-1829.
Loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 lifetime for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to those 62 and older; eligible repairs include fixing unsafe steps and fall hazards, but stair lifts are not named. Use the USDA Rural Development office locator to find the office serving Newton County.
Grant money awarded to the county or an incorporated town, which then offers repairs to local low-income homeowners; covered work includes accessibility modifications, though stair lifts are not named. Ask county government whether an award is active, or call OCRA at (800) 457-8283.
A VA grant for medically necessary structural changes like ramps, roll-in showers and wider doorways; it does not cover stair lifts, which the VA lists as excluded equipment. Call (800) 827-1000.
A local agency at 108 E. State St. in Morocco offering homemaking, transportation, energy assistance, a food pantry and senior meals; a stair lift program is not listed. Call (219) 285-2246 to ask about current services and referrals.
Older adults
5240 Fountain Drive, Crown Point, 46307
Veterans
4117 S 240 W, Morocco, 47963
The Indiana PathWays for Aging Waiver lists home modifications as a covered service for people 60 and older who qualify. Stair lifts are not named by item, so confirm with your managed care care manager. CoAction at (219) 794-1829 can help you start the application.
No. The VA excludes stair glides from HISA. The grant can still pay for permanent changes such as ramps or wider doorways. The Veteran's Service Office in Morocco, (888) 663-9866, can help with other VA benefits.
The USDA Section 504 program offers grants up to $10,000 lifetime to very-low-income homeowners 62 and older in rural areas like Newton County. The program covers fixing unsafe steps and fall hazards, but it does not name stair lifts, so ask the USDA office before counting on it.
CoAction serves Newton County from 5240 Fountain Drive in Crown Point. It also covers Lake, Porter, Jasper, Pulaski and Starke counties. Call (219) 794-1829.
Usually, yes. Split-levels have short flights with landings, so the answer may be a curved rail or separate straight lifts on each flight. We measure each flight in person before recommending one.
The Indiana CDBG Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program only works when the county or a town like Kentland, Morocco, Brook or Goodland applies and wins funding. Check with county government to find out if a program is open now.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
