Talbot County has 269 square miles of land and 208 square miles of water, so 44% of the county is water. Homes in Easton, St. Michaels, Trappe, Tilghman Island, Oxford and Cordova sit along coves, rivers and the Bay Hundred peninsula, and many are a long drive from services.
That distance is a big reason families here look at fixing the stairs instead of moving. A stair lift lets someone keep using the bedroom and bath upstairs in the house they already know. This page covers which lift fits which kind of Talbot County home and where to ask about help paying for one.
Easton's core is the Easton Historic District, with National Register of Historic Places-listed properties such as All Saints' Church, The Anchorage, Llandaff House, Myrtle Grove and Wye House. The Third Haven Meeting House dates to 1682-1684. Many of the colonial- and federal-era, multi-story homes around them were built long before anyone planned for accessibility.
Stairs in these houses are often narrow, steep or turn at a landing. A straight lift works when the run goes top to bottom without a bend. If the staircase turns or has a landing partway up, a curved lift with a custom-made rail is usually the answer.
Outside the historic core, the county's homes include single-family homes, townhouses, low-rise buildings and split-level homes. Each one changes the job. A split-level often has short flights between several levels, so we look at which flight matters most for daily life before recommending anything.
Townhouses tend to have one long straight flight, which is a good fit for a straight lift. In a low-rise building, ask the building manager about common stairways before planning anything outside your own unit.
As of the 2020 Census, 51.9% of Talbot County residents lived in rural areas. Plenty of homes have porch or deck steps, or a drop from the yard to the dock side of the house.
For those outside steps, an outdoor stair lift built to handle the weather is one option. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a short rise, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. We measure on site before suggesting either.
In Easton, 26.9% of residents were 65 or older and 20.3% of households had someone 65 or older living alone, according to the 2020 Census. For an older parent living alone, one fall on the stairs can end independent living.
Owners can generally install equipment on their own say, and veterans have a separate set of benefits to check, covered below.
None of the programs listed below name stair lifts in their published materials, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. That does not always mean a no. Several programs cover broad categories like accessibility adaptations, home modifications or durable medical equipment, so the right move is to call and ask directly.
For many families the strongest leads are the Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program, which offers home-modification loans up to $20,000 unsecured, and Maryland Medicaid Community First Choice for people who qualify. Upper Shore Aging at (410) 778-6000 is a good first call for older adults. Veterans can reach the Upper Shore Office of the Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families at 11 South Harrison Street in Easton, (410) 690-7181.
In-home services, case management and durable medical equipment referral for adults 63 and older at risk of nursing-home placement in Caroline, Kent and Talbot counties. Stair lifts and home modifications are not listed, so ask a case manager at (410) 778-6000 whether any funding could apply.
Information, counseling, respite funds and support groups for family caregivers of older adults in Caroline, Kent and Talbot counties. Stair lifts and home modifications are not listed; call (410) 778-7180.
A Medicaid benefit for people with full Maryland Medicaid who need a nursing-facility level of care but live in the community, with no age restriction. Its covered services include accessibility adaptations, but stair lifts are not named, so coverage would be case by case; call (410) 767-1739.
Below-market-rate loans from the Maryland Department of Disabilities, including home-modification loans up to $20,000 unsecured and general assistive-technology loans of $500 to $10,000. Stair lifts are not named specifically; the borrower can be the person with a disability, a family member or a friend. Call (800) 832-4827.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, with FY2026 limits of up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA. They fund permanent structural changes such as ramps or widened doorways, and stair lifts are not named; call (877) 222-8387.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary structural changes to a veteran's home. Stair glides are specifically excluded, so it will not pay for a stair lift; call (877) 222-8387 about other uses.
Provides durable medical equipment and other devices to veterans enrolled in VA health care, based on a clinical prescription. Stair lifts are not named, so a veteran would need to ask the local PSAS office whether one can be authorized.
A state program focused on repairs and improvements that can lower utility bills. Stair lifts and accessibility work are not mentioned; Talbot County's housing coordinator at (410) 770-8030 can tell you whether it fits.
Loans to very-low-income homeowners for repairs, and grants to very-low-income homeowners 62 and older to remove health and safety hazards. Stair lifts are not named; call the county housing coordinator at (410) 770-8030.
A nonprofit that partners with low-income homeowners on necessary repairs, with an office in Trappe and a ReStore in Easton. Stair lifts are not mentioned; call (410) 476-3204.
Volunteers build modular ADA-compliant wheelchair ramps and make minor safety repairs such as grab rails for Talbot County residents, not only those on the Bay Hundred peninsula. Stair lifts are not mentioned; call (410) 745-9243.
Provides free durable medical equipment to Eastern Shore residents with any illness, injury or disability, regardless of age. Stair lifts are not named among the equipment; call (443) 260-0822.
Older adults
100 Schauber Road, Chestertown, 21620
Veterans
11 South Harrison Street, Easton, 21601
No. HISA specifically excludes removable equipment such as stair glides and porch lifts. A veteran can still ask the local PSAS office whether a stair lift can be authorized as durable medical equipment, or call the Upper Shore Office in Easton at (410) 690-7181 for help sorting through benefits.
Yes, some programs have no age limit. Maryland Medicaid Community First Choice and the Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program have no age restriction, and the Bay Area Center for Independent Living serves people regardless of age. Upper Shore Aging's SOAR services are for adults 63 and older.
The Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program lets a family member or friend borrow on behalf of a Maryland resident with a disability. Home-modification loans go up to $20,000 unsecured, though the program's materials do not name stair lifts specifically. Call (800) 832-4827 to confirm.
Usually, yes. Turning or landing stairs, common in Easton's older multi-story homes, call for a curved lift with a rail made to fit your staircase. A straight lift only works on a single run with no bend.
No. Despite the name, the group serves Talbot County residents. Its work is wheelchair ramps and minor safety repairs rather than stair lifts; you can reach them at (410) 745-9243.
Upper Shore Aging at (410) 778-6000, based at 100 Schauber Road in Chestertown, serves Talbot County. A case manager can review services and tell you whether any funding stream might apply to a stair lift.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
