Tipton County is a place of farmsteads and small towns spread across a level till plain, with the city of Tipton as the county seat and Windfall City, Sharpsville, Goldsmith and Kempton rounding out its five towns. Many of the older farmhouses and in-town homes here date from the same late-19th-century building era that produced the Tipton County Courthouse in 1893-94.
Houses from that period usually have more than one level and a full staircase between them. When the bedroom or the only full bathroom is upstairs, those stairs decide whether someone can keep living in the home. This page explains how stair lifts fit Tipton County homes and which programs may help with the cost.
The county's housing is mostly single-family homes, with some low-rise buildings and townhouses. In older farmhouses and the in-town homes around Tipton, multi-level layouts with full staircases are common.
A staircase that runs in one straight line can usually take a straight stair lift, which rides on a rail fastened to the stair treads rather than the wall. If the stairs turn at a landing or wind around a corner, a curved lift with a rail built to that exact staircase is the usual answer. We measure the stairs in person before recommending either one.
The land here is flat, sitting between 850 and 900 feet above sea level, and much of the northern part of the county needed drainage channels before it could be farmed. That history left a spread-out, farm-based settlement pattern, so many older residents live on rural properties some distance from services in town.
For families in that situation, making the house itself workable matters more. Besides indoor lifts, outdoor stair lifts and platform lifts are options for getting from the yard into the house, and a platform lift can serve someone who uses a wheelchair.
About 20.9 percent of Tipton County residents are 65 or older, out of a population of 7,074. Roughly 72.1 percent are homeowners, and 2024 figures put homeownership at 81.4 percent of occupied housing units.
Owning the home matters because a stair lift is a modification to the house, and most home-repair programs are built for owners.
None of the programs listed below name stair lifts in their published materials, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. Several do cover home modifications in general, which is worth asking about, since decisions are often made case by case after an assessment.
A good first call for older adults is Area Five Agency on Aging at (574) 722-4451. Its office is at 1801 Smith St., Suite 300, in Logansport. Veterans can start with the Tipton County Veteran Services Office at (765) 675-2221, located at 101 E Jefferson St, 3rd Floor, Room 312, in Tipton.
Statewide, the INDATA Alternative Financing Program (AFP) is another resource families sometimes look at for assistive technology. Ask each agency directly whether a stair lift can be part of your plan before you sign anything.
Area Five lists home modification among its in-home services for older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers in Tipton County, with the scope set case by case through an assessment; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (574) 722-4451.
CHOICE serves people age 60 and up, or any age with a long-term disability, who need help with at least two daily activities, using a sliding-scale cost share; its listed services do not include home modifications or stair lifts. Call (800) 986-3505.
This Medicaid waiver is for people 60 or older who need a nursing-facility level of care, and it lists home modifications and home modification assessments as covered services, though stair lifts are not named. Call (574) 722-4451.
The companion waiver for people 59 and under with a qualifying disability who need a nursing-facility level of care also covers home modifications, with no specific mention of stair lifts. The listed number is (800) 545-7763.
For people enrolled in these intellectual and developmental disability waivers, environmental modifications are funded up to $15,000 lifetime per waiver plus $500 per year for service and repair, when documented in the Person-Centered Individualized Support Plan. Stair lifts are not named among the examples.
Very-low-income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas can get repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest, and owners 62 and older may qualify for grants up to $10,000 lifetime; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source.
HISA pays up to $6,800 lifetime for a service-connected disability, or $2,000 for other non-service-connected disabilities, for medically necessary home alterations. It explicitly excludes porch lifts and stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts.
These grants, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, help veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities adapt a home they own; stair lifts are not specifically listed.
Future Choices offers information, referral, advocacy and peer support to people with disabilities in Tipton County and six neighboring counties; it does not list home modification or stair lift services. Call (765) 741-8332.
Older adults
1801 Smith St., Suite 300, Logansport, 46947
Veterans
101 E Jefferson St, 3rd Floor, Room 312, Tipton, 46072
The PathWays for Aging and Health & Wellness waivers list home modifications as a covered service, but their materials do not name stair lifts. Ask Area Five at (574) 722-4451 whether a lift can be included after a home modification assessment.
Yes, possibly. The Indiana Health & Wellness Waiver is for people 59 and under with a qualifying disability, and CHOICE accepts people of any age with a long-term disability. Neither specifically names stair lifts.
No. The VA excludes porch lifts and stair glides from HISA. The Tipton County Veteran Services Office at (765) 675-2221 can talk through other VA benefits, including the SAH and SHA grants for qualifying service-connected disabilities.
The USDA Section 504 program is for owner-occupied homes in USDA-eligible rural areas with very low household income. It covers repairs and accessibility fixes, but its source materials do not mention stair lifts, so confirm before applying.
Area Five Agency on Aging serves Tipton County from 1801 Smith St., Suite 300, Logansport, IN 46947. The phone number is (574) 722-4451.
Usually, yes. Stairs with a turn or landing typically need a curved stair lift with a rail made to fit that staircase, and we measure it in person to confirm.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
