From the knolls and short bluffs on the South Dakota line to the steep bluff above the Minnesota River valley, Lac qui Parle County is farm country. Many families here still live in the older farmsteads and small-town homes in Madison and Dawson that went up during the county's early-20th-century settlement peak.
Those houses were built with full interior staircases and no accessibility features in mind. When a parent wants to stay put rather than move to town or out of the county, a stair lift is often the simplest way to keep the upstairs bedroom and bathroom in daily use.
A lot of the housing here is multi-story, and the main staircase in an older farmhouse is often the only way up. When that stair runs in one straight line, a straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall, and usually fits without changing the house.
Stairs with a landing, a turn or a winder at the top need a curved lift. The rail is built to the exact shape of your staircase, so we measure on site before anything is ordered.
Basement stairs in farmhouses can be steep and narrow. We check width, headroom and the condition of the treads before recommending a lift for them.
Split-level homes have short runs of stairs between floors, sometimes more than one. Each run can take its own straight lift, or a single curved rail can handle a run with a turn.
Ranch-style homes look like they need nothing, but many have the laundry or a family room in the basement. A straight lift on the basement stair can keep that space usable.
In walk-up apartments, the owner or landlord has to approve any lift on a shared stair, so that conversation comes first.
With so much of the county rural and sparsely settled, a trip to in-town services can mean real distance, and winter roads make that harder. Getting in and out of the house safely matters as much as the stairs inside.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for porch and entry steps and are made to handle weather. Where a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift can be a better fit than a seat.
In 2020, 16.9% of households in the county had someone 65 or older living alone. For those homeowners, a lift that removes a fall risk on the stairs is often the first change worth making.
About 75.2% of residents here own their homes, which opens up several home-repair and accessibility loans that require owning and living in the house. The Minnesota Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program offers a deferred loan of up to $37,500 that is forgiven if you stay for the full term, and Prairie Five Community Action Council in Montevideo delivers accessibility loans in this county.
For people 65 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care, the Minnesota Elderly Waiver covers home modifications. Start with the Lac qui Parle County Family Service Center at (320) 598-7594 for the assessment.
The Lac qui Parle County Veterans Service Office at 600 6th Street in Madison can explain VA housing grants and other benefits. Each program is summarized below.
A Medicaid waiver for Minnesota residents 65 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care, with home modifications listed as a covered benefit and no published statewide dollar cap. Call the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433, and apply through the Lac qui Parle County Family Service Center at (320) 598-7594.
Minnesota Medicaid treats home modifications, with stair lifts named as an example, as an eligible expense that can also help spend down assets to meet Medicaid limits. Call the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433.
The county office that does MnCHOICES assessments and case management for the Elderly Waiver and the CAC, CADI and BI waivers; it is an access point rather than a funding source, and its page does not mention stair lifts. Call (320) 598-7594.
Free information, options counseling, Medicare guidance and caregiver referrals for adults 60 and older and family caregivers in a 27-county region that includes Lac qui Parle County; stair lifts are not listed. Call (800) 333-2433.
A free statewide information, benefits-planning and referral service for Minnesotans with disabilities and their families, with no income limit to call; it does not list stair lifts or home modifications. Call (866) 333-2466.
A deferred loan of up to $37,500 for low-income homeowners with assets of $25,000 or less, covering accessibility improvements and forgiven if you stay in the home for the full term (15 years for real property). Apply through a participating Rehab Loan Lender; in this county the program is delivered through Prairie Five Community Action.
Serves low-income homeowners in Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift and Yellow Medicine Counties with loans for emergency repairs or accessibility needs of a disabled household member; stair lifts are not itemized by name. Call (320) 269-6578 to confirm current terms.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners age 62 and older in eligible rural areas, combined up to $50,000; stair lifts are not listed. Call the Minnesota USDA Rural Development office at (651) 602-7800.
VA grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not mentioned specifically. Call the Lac qui Parle County Veterans Service Office at (320) 598-3445.
Older adults
2401 Broadway Ave., Suite 4, Slayton, 56172
Veterans
600 6th Street, Madison, 56256
Most full interior staircases can take a lift. A straight stair uses a straight lift, and a stair with a landing or turn needs a curved rail made to its shape, which is why we measure in the home first.
The Minnesota Elderly Waiver lists home modifications as a covered benefit, and Minnesota Medicaid names stair lifts as an example of an eligible home-modification expense. Eligibility starts with an assessment through the Lac qui Parle County Family Service Center at (320) 598-7594.
Yes. The Minnesota Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program offers a deferred loan of up to $37,500 for accessibility work for low-income homeowners, and Prairie Five Community Action Council at (320) 269-6578 handles accessibility loans for this county.
The USDA Section 504 program offers grants of up to $10,000 to homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan. The whole county is rural, but confirm your property with USDA Rural Development at (651) 602-7800.
Call the Lac qui Parle County Veterans Service Office at (320) 598-3445, located at 600 6th Street in Madison. They can explain VA housing adaptation grants and whether a disability qualifies.
Yes. Outdoor stair lifts are made for porch and entry steps and built to handle weather, and a platform lift is an option when a wheelchair needs to get up the steps.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
