Vevay sits on the Ohio River bluffs in Indiana's southeastern corner, and many homes there were built long before anyone thought about getting an older person up a flight of stairs. Out past town, toward Patriot and the hills near Avonburg, the houses are spread across rolling farm country, and plenty of them are multi-story farmhouses with their original stairways.
That mix of historic river-town homes and older rural houses is why stair lift questions come up so often here. This page walks through how local homes and lots affect the kind of lift that fits, and which programs Switzerland County residents can call about paying for one.
Switzerland County has only two incorporated towns, Vevay and Patriot, so most people live in rural, unincorporated areas. The housing there is older and dispersed, not rows of new subdivisions. Historic river-town homes and multi-story farmhouses often still have their original stairs.
Original stairways can be narrow, steep or turn partway up. A straight staircase usually takes a straight rail lift, which is the simplest install. Stairs with a landing, a turn or a curve need a curved rail built to that staircase, so we measure carefully before quoting anything.
Local homes include single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes and split-level homes. A ranch-style home may only have stairs down to a basement or a few steps at an entry. Those short runs are often a good fit for a short straight lift.
Split-level homes are different. They have several short flights between levels, so the question is which flight matters most for daily life, such as the one to the bedroom and bathroom. Sometimes one lift on one flight solves most of the problem.
The county runs from river bottomlands along the Ohio River bluffs near Vevay up to rolling hills that reach about 981 feet near Avonburg. Every resident lives outside an urban area under the 2020 census classification. Sloped, hilly lots are common.
On a sloped lot the hardest stairs are sometimes outside, between the driveway and the door or down to a lower-level entry. An outdoor stair lift is built for weather exposure. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a few steps, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat lift, and we can look at both during a home visit.
Just 48.1% are homeowners, which matters because some funding programs require you to own the home.
If you rent, ask your landlord before anything is installed. Some VA help for renters requires landlord consent, and a landlord will want to know how the rail attaches to the stairs.
No program in the list below names stair lifts as a covered item, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. Several Indiana Medicaid waivers do list home modifications as a service, so it is worth asking whether a lift could qualify in your case.
Two local offices are a good first call. LifeTime Resources (PSA 12) is at 13091 Benedict Drive in Dillsboro, (812) 432-6200. The Switzerland County Veterans Service Office is at 708 W. Seminary St., Suite 5, in Vevay, (812) 427-4302. The INDATA Alternative Financing Program (AFP) also appears on Indiana's statewide list of resources.
A Medicaid waiver for people age 60 and older who are Medicaid-eligible and need help with at least three daily activities; it lists home modifications as a service but does not name stair lifts. Call (877) 284-9294 to apply.
An alternative to nursing facility admission for people age 59 and younger with a qualifying disability who meet a nursing-facility level of care; the source does not list stair lifts or home modifications on its page. Call (800) 545-7763.
This waiver page lists Home Modifications and Home Modification Assessment among authorized services but does not name stair lifts. Applicants must meet nursing-facility level of care and income cannot exceed 300% of the maximum SSI amount; call (877) 234-3641.
A state program for people 60 and older, or younger with an impairment, who have significant limits in at least two daily activities; its listed services do not include stair lifts or home modifications. Higher-income applicants may pay a sliding-scale share; call (800) 986-3505.
The local intake and options-counseling point for CHOICE, PathWays and other services in Switzerland and neighboring counties; its counselors may be able to assist with home modification, though stair lifts are not named. Call (877) 234-3641.
Loans up to $20,000 at 1% interest and grants up to $7,500 for homeowners age 62 and older, with a combined maximum of $27,500, for repairs or removing health and safety hazards. The source does not name stair lifts or accessibility changes.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home alterations, but it explicitly will not pay for stair glides or porch lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, to build, buy or remodel an accessible home; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Based in Vevay, this center offers in-home services, peer counseling and information and referral for people with disabilities; it does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (812) 427-3333.
Older adults
13091 Benedict Drive, Dillsboro, 47018
Veterans
708 W. Seminary St., Suite 5, Vevay, 47043
The PathWays, Health and Wellness and Aged and Disabled waiver pages list home modifications or reference environmental modifications, but none name stair lifts. Ask about it directly when you apply, for example through PathWays at (877) 284-9294.
The Indiana Health and Wellness Waiver serves people 59 and younger with a qualifying disability who meet a nursing-facility level of care, at (800) 545-7763. CHOICE also accepts younger people with a physical or mental impairment.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund accessibility remodeling but do not name stair lifts, so call (800) 827-1000 or the Switzerland County Veterans Service Office in Vevay at (812) 427-4302 to ask.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made for that, and hilly lots near the river bluffs often need one at the entry. For a wheelchair user, a platform lift may be the better choice.
The Southeastern Indiana Independent Living Center is headquartered in Vevay at (812) 427-3333, and the county Veterans Service Office is at 708 W. Seminary St., Suite 5. LifeTime Resources (PSA 12) in Dillsboro can be reached at (812) 432-6200.
The Section 504 program funds repairs and removal of health or safety hazards for homeowners, with grants up to $7,500 for those 62 and older. The source does not name stair lifts, so confirm with USDA before counting on it.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
