Across Henry County's 9 towns, from Napoleon on the Maumee River to Deshler, Holgate, Liberty Center and Hamler, a lot of families live in the same house they have owned for decades. Many of those houses follow the two-story Midwest farmhouse layout: bedrooms upstairs and a single full bath. That works fine until climbing the stairs becomes the hardest part of the day.
A stair lift lets someone keep using the whole house without moving the bedroom to the dining room. This page walks through how local homes, weather and rural roads shape the choice of lift, and which county, state and federal programs may help with the cost.
Henry County's housing is mostly single-family homes and detached houses, with ranch-style and split-level homes mixed in and some low-rise buildings. Each one asks something different of a stair lift.
The upstairs-bedroom farmhouse is the most common reason families call. If the staircase runs in one straight flight, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit. Older homes with a turn or landing partway up typically need a curved rail built to that staircase.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, and a person may need help on more than one of them. Ranch-style homes often put the only stairs at the basement, where laundry may be. We measure every flight before recommending anything.
Napoleon, the county seat, has a downtown with four buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, and the town's older 19th and early 20th century building pattern carries into the houses around it. Older stairways can be narrow or steep, which affects rail placement and how the seat folds out of the way for others using the stairs.
Outside Napoleon, the county is mostly farmland. As of the 2020 census, 67.9% of residents lived in rural areas. In places like McClure, Malinta, Ridgeville Corners and Florida, houses are often spread out, so having a reliable lift at home matters when help is not next door.
Henry County covers about 420 square miles of flat ground that was once part of the Great Black Swamp. Flat land does not mean no steps, though. Most homes still have porch or entry steps, and winters average around 25°F with roughly 24.7 inches of snow a year.
Icy entry steps are a real fall risk. An outdoor stair lift built for weather, or a platform lift for someone using a wheelchair, can make getting in and out of the house safer through the winter.
Henry County has a population of 14,587, and 17.9% of residents are 65 or older. In Napoleon the share is higher, at 20.6%. With 72.9% of households owning their homes, many people are choosing to adapt the house they have rather than move.
If that includes someone in your family, the VA programs and the county veterans office listed below are worth a call before you decide how to pay.
Only one program in our list names stair lifts directly: the Ohio Home Care Waiver, for Ohio Medicaid recipients age 59 or younger who meet a nursing-facility level of care. For people 60 and older on Medicaid, PASSPORT covers home modifications in general, though its source does not name stair lifts.
Several local programs cover accessibility or safety repairs without listing stair lifts, so ask each one directly. The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. A good first call for older adults is the Area Office on Aging of NW Ohio (AAA 4) at (419) 382-0624, 2155 Arlington Ave., Toledo 43609. Veterans can start with the Henry County Veterans Service Commission at (419) 592-0956, 1855 Oakwood Avenue, Napoleon 43545.
A Medicaid waiver for Ohioans age 60+ who meet nursing-facility level of care; it lists home modifications as a benefit but its source does not name stair lifts. Call (866) 243-5678.
A Medicaid waiver for Ohio recipients age 59 or younger who meet nursing-facility level of care, and stair lifts are listed as a covered home modification. Call (844) 644-6582.
The regional aging agency serving Henry County, which administers PASSPORT locally for adults 60+ and adults with disabilities; its site does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 472-7277.
The county senior center at 203 Rohrs Street in Napoleon offers Meals on Wheels, transportation and social programs for residents 60+; home modifications and stair lifts are not listed. Call (419) 599-5515.
Free safety and minor repairs, such as handrails, grab bars and stairwell lighting, for income-eligible homeowners 60+ in Henry and nearby counties; stair lifts are not named. Call (419) 784-5393.
An income-limited housing repair program for Henry County homeowners that includes an accessibility needs category, though stair lifts are not named. Call (419) 784-3882.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very low income rural homeowners, with grants limited to those 62+; accessibility changes are covered in general, but stair lifts are not named.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own; stair lifts are not named specifically. Call (800) 827-1000.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands; stair lifts are not named specifically. Call (800) 827-1000.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically needed structural changes, but it explicitly does not cover stair glides or porch lifts.
The county office at 1855 Oakwood Avenue in Napoleon helps veterans and families with VA claims and short-term emergency aid; it does not list home modification funding. Call (419) 592-0956.
Serves people of all ages with disabilities in Henry County through its Bryan office, offering ramps and home modifications; stair lifts are not named among its services. Call (419) 633-1400.
Older adults
2155 Arlington Ave., Toledo, 43609
Veterans
1855 Oakwood Avenue, Napoleon, 43545
Yes, possibly. The Ohio Home Care Waiver serves Ohio Medicaid recipients age 59 or younger who meet a nursing-facility level of care, and it lists stair lifts as a covered home modification. Call (844) 644-6582. The Ability Center of Greater Toledo also serves people of all ages with disabilities at (419) 633-1400.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities can ask about the SAH or SHA grants at (800) 827-1000, or talk with the Henry County Veterans Service Commission at (419) 592-0956.
Start with the Area Office on Aging of NW Ohio (AAA 4) at (419) 382-0624, which handles PASSPORT for Henry County. The Henry County Senior Center on Rohrs Street, (419) 599-5515, is a local contact for meals and transportation.
Most of Henry County qualifies as rural for the USDA Section 504 program. Very low income homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1%, and those 62+ may get grants up to $10,000 to remove health and safety hazards. Stair lifts are not named, so ask whether your project fits.
It depends on the staircase. A single straight flight usually takes a straight stair lift, while stairs with a turn or landing need a curved rail. We measure the stairs in person before recommending a type.
Henry County averages about 24.7 inches of snow a year and winter temperatures around 25°F, so icy entry steps are a real concern. An outdoor stair lift or platform lift can cut down on trips up slippery steps.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
