Harlowton grew up as a Milwaukee Road railroad town, and you can still read that history in its compact core: the 1908 Graves Hotel, the Montana Flour Mills concrete grain silos, and Gothic-style churches like Harlowton Wesleyan Church and St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Many of the houses around them date from the same early era. They were built long before anyone planned for accessibility, so single-entry stairs and narrow stairwells are common.
Out past town, Wheatland County stretches across 1,428 square miles of wheat and ranch country, crossed by U.S. Routes 12 and 191 and Montana Highway 3. With so much distance between homes and specialty providers, keeping a parent safe on the stairs at home often matters more here than it would in a city. This page walks through what local homes mean for a stair lift and where to look for help paying for one.
Wheatland County has an older population than most places. About 34.1% of residents are 65 or older, and 76.3% own their homes.
That combination means many people want to stay in a house they already own, even as the stairs get harder.
The county has 1,114 housing units, and much of that stock is aging. In the historic part of Harlowton, the staircase that matters most is often narrow and steep, and it may be the only way between floors.
A straight stairway, even a tight one, usually takes a straight-rail stair lift. If the stairs turn at a landing or wind partway up, a curved rail built to that staircase is the answer. We measure the width, the turns and the landings before recommending anything, because older stairwells rarely match a standard drawing.
Outside the historic core you will find single-family homes, ranch-style homes and split-level homes. A split-level often has short flights between levels, so one lift may not reach every floor, and the family has to decide which run matters most.
Ranch-style houses put daily living on one floor, but the front or back steps can still be the problem. For those, an outdoor stair lift built for weather, or a platform lift for someone using a wheelchair, can be the better fit. Since many homes here have single-entry stairs, the way in and out of the house deserves as much attention as the stairs inside.
No program in the facts we have names stair lifts directly, so expect to ask questions and file paperwork. Medicaid's Montana Big Sky Waiver covers Environmental Adaptations and Specialized Medical Equipment and Supplies, but it has a waiting list. Money Follows the Person funds home modifications for people moving home from a long-term care facility.
For homeowners with very low incomes in rural areas, USDA Section 504 offers repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan. The grants go toward health and safety hazards and accessibility changes.
Statewide, it is also worth asking about the Montana Assistive Technology Loan (MATL), the Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM), Community First Choice Services (CFCS), and the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) & Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit. The Area II Agency on Aging ADRC in Roundup at (406) 323-1320 is a good first call to sort out which ones fit.
Montana's main Medicaid home and community-based waiver for seniors and disabled adults, covering Environmental Adaptations and Specialized Medical Equipment and Supplies; stair lifts are not named and there is a waiting list. Call (800) 219-7035.
Helps people who have lived in a qualifying long-term care facility for 60 or more consecutive days move back home, funding home modifications and environmental modifications; stair lifts are not named in the program description. Call (406) 439-6870.
Loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to those 62 and older and aimed at safety hazards and accessibility changes; stair lifts are not named. Call (406) 727-7580.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for prescribed home changes like ramps, entrances and bathrooms; the VA source lists stair glides and porch lifts as excluded. The Helena Service Office at (406) 495-2082 can help with veterans benefits.
A Roundup-based information and referral service for adults 60 and older and adults with disabilities in Wheatland County and the rest of Area II; it does not list stair lift funding itself. Call (406) 323-1320.
A free Center for Independent Living serving Wheatland County with peer support, advocacy and referrals for people with disabilities of any age; it does not list funding for home modifications or stair lifts. Call (406) 522-7300 or toll-free (800) 735-6457.
Older adults
1505 Avenue D, Billings, 59102
Veterans
3633 Veterans Dr. Room 110D, Fort Harrison, 59636
Not through the HISA grant. The VA source page lists stair glides and porch lifts as excluded equipment, though HISA can help with ramps and entrance changes. Veterans can call the Helena Service Office at (406) 495-2082 to talk through other benefits.
The USDA Section 504 grants require the applicant to be 62 or older, but the Section 504 repair loans of up to $40,000 do not carry that age rule. They are meant for very-low-income homeowners in rural areas who cannot get affordable credit elsewhere.
The Montana Big Sky Waiver covers Environmental Adaptations and Specialized Medical Equipment and Supplies, though stair lifts are not named. Financial eligibility goes through the county Office of Public Assistance, and the program has a waiting list. Call (800) 219-7035.
Money Follows the Person helps people who have been in a qualifying long-term care facility for 60 or more consecutive days, with Medicaid for at least one of those days, return home. It funds home modifications as part of that move. Call (406) 439-6870.
Start with the Area II Agency on Aging ADRC in Roundup at (406) 323-1320 for referrals. The Area II office in Billings, Adult Resource Alliance of Yellowstone County, is at (406) 259-5212.
Many early houses in Harlowton have narrow stairwells, so we measure before we recommend anything. Straight stairs usually take a straight rail, and stairs that turn need a curved rail made for that staircase.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
