Cumberland County runs from Portland and South Portland out across Casco Bay to Chebeague Island, and inland past Sebago Lake toward the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Across its 35 towns, from Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth Foreside to Bridgton, Naples and Baldwin, a lot of people live in houses built long before anyone planned for a first-floor bedroom.
This page walks through what the county's older homes mean for a stair lift, which type tends to fit, and which Maine programs can help pay for one. If you are sorting this out for a parent or for yourself, start with the staircase you actually have, then match it to the funding you may qualify for.
Maine has some of the oldest housing in the country. Statewide, 23.4% of housing units were built before 1940, nearly double the 12% national average, and around 35% predate 1960. Cumberland County is older still by Maine standards.
The county has 250 properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places, including 12 National Historic Landmarks, among them the McLellan House in Gorham, listed in 1972. Homes from these eras often have narrow, steep staircases, tight landings and stairs that turn partway up. Those details decide which lift will work far more than the age of the person riding it.
A single straight flight in a single-family home or detached house is the simplest case. A straight-rail stair lift mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster walls in an older house are usually left alone.
Stairs that turn, wind or stop at a landing need a curved rail built to fit that staircase. This is common in older Portland, Yarmouth and Brunswick houses. Split-level homes bring a different problem: several short flights, which may call for more than one lift or a rail that follows the turns between levels.
Townhouses tend to have long, straight interior flights that suit a straight rail. Walk-up apartments are harder, since the stairs are often shared, so the building owner has to be part of the conversation. For entry steps outside, an outdoor-rated lift or a platform lift for a wheelchair user may be the better answer.
The county covers 1,217 square miles, and 382 of those are water. Alongside the dense core of Portland, South Portland and Westbrook, there are 25 more rural and coastal towns, plus islands in Casco Bay.
For someone in Harpswell, on Chebeague Island, or out near Sebago Lake in Standish, Raymond or Casco, the installers and home-modification contractors based around Portland are a longer trip away. Plan the home visit early, have stair measurements and photos ready, and ask about service visits before you buy.
About 19.7% of Cumberland County residents are 65 or older, and 72.0% of households own their home. Owning matters here, because most of the grant programs below require that you own and live in the house.
The Portland Field Office of the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services, at 151 Jetport Boulevard, Room 138W, Portland, can help with VA paperwork at (207) 822-2391.
Two sources name stair lifts outright. MaineCare's Section 19 waiver lists stair lifts among approved environmental modifications for members who meet its medical and financial rules. Alpha One, based in South Portland, offers low-interest adaptive equipment loans that list stair lifts as qualifying equipment.
Other programs fund accessibility or repairs without naming stair lifts, so ask directly before counting on them. The VA HISA grant does not cover stair glides. For a starting point, Southern Maine AAA at 136 U.S. Route 1, Scarborough, can be reached at (207) 396-6500 and refers residents to local home-modification programs.
A Medicaid waiver for older adults and adults with disabilities who meet nursing-facility level of care and income and asset rules; stair lifts are listed as an approved modification, subject to prior authorization. Call (800) 262-2232.
Loans from $250 up to $100,000 at a 3.75% fixed rate for Maine residents with a disability or their family members, and stair lifts are listed as qualifying equipment. Approval is based on ability to repay, with a minimum credit score of 569 or no credit history; call (800) 640-7200.
A grant for Maine residents with a significant disability that covers items such as wheelchair lifts, ramps and home modifications; stair lifts are not named in the program description. Call (800) 640-7200 to ask.
Repair and accessibility funding for owners who have lived in the home at least 1 year and earn at or below 80% of Area Median Income, run through regional Community Action Agencies. It covers improvements for people with disabilities but does not name stair lifts; call (207) 816-3550.
A no-cost in-home safety and accessibility program for people 55+ or with a disability, at or below 100% of Area Median Income, covering Cumberland County except Brunswick and Harpswell. Stair lifts are not named in its scope; call (207) 772-2151.
Donated labor for owners of homes assessed under $350,000 who have lived there 3+ years and earn at or below 80% of area median income, excluding Brunswick and Harpswell. Ramps are excluded and stair lifts are not mentioned; call (207) 772-2151.
Information and referral for older adults and caregivers in Cumberland and York Counties; it is not a cash grant and does not list stair lift assistance. Call (207) 396-6500.
For caregivers of a person with a physician's diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or dementia, it can reimburse home modifications up to a $2,000 lifetime maximum with prior approval; stair lifts are not named and there is often a waiting list. Call (207) 396-6500.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary structural changes, but the VA excludes stair glides, so it does not pay for a stair lift. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to buy, build or adapt a home; stair lifts are not named, and the current-year amount should be confirmed with the VA. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
136 U.S. Route 1, Scarborough, 04074
Veterans
151 Jetport Boulevard, Room 138W, Portland, 04102
It can. The Section 19 Elderly and Adults with Disabilities waiver lists stair lifts as an approved environmental modification for members who meet nursing-facility level of care and the financial rules. Each request needs prior authorization; call (800) 262-2232.
Alpha One in South Portland makes adaptive equipment loans from $250 to $100,000 at a 3.75% fixed rate, and stair lifts qualify. Approval looks at ability to repay rather than income, with a minimum credit score of 569 or no credit history. Call (800) 640-7200.
No. The VA treats stair glides as removable equipment and excludes them from HISA. For help with other VA benefits, the Portland Field Office of the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services is at (207) 822-2391.
The Community Aging in Place program serves people 55+ or with a disability at or below 100% of Area Median Income, through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland at (207) 772-2151. Its scope does not name stair lifts, so ask what it can do for your stairs.
No. Both Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland programs exclude Brunswick and Harpswell. Southern Maine AAA at (207) 396-6500 serves all of Cumberland County and can point you to other options.
The State Respite Care Program through Southern Maine Agency on Aging can reimburse home modifications up to a $2,000 lifetime maximum with prior approval, for caregivers of someone with a written dementia diagnosis. Stair lifts are not named and there is often a waiting list; call (207) 396-6500.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
