From the courthouse on Court Square in Sidney out to Anna, Fort Loramie, Jackson Center, Botkins, Russia and Port Jefferson, much of Shelby County lives in two-story homes. In the villages and townships, the farmhouse and small-town housing stock from the Miami & Erie Canal era often puts the bedrooms and full baths upstairs. That layout works fine for decades, then one day the staircase becomes the hardest part of the house.
We install stair lifts across all 7 of these towns and the countryside between them. This page walks through how the county's homes and land affect which lift fits, and which local, state and VA programs may help pay for one. In Shelby County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older and 65.4% own their homes, so a lot of families are working out how to stay put rather than move.
When the only full bath is on the second floor, carrying laundry or climbing at night stops being a small thing. A stair lift lets someone keep using the bedroom and bath they already have instead of rebuilding a main floor around them.
Many older farmhouses have a single straight run of stairs, which is the simplest and quickest install. Some have a turn, a landing or a narrow back staircase. Those usually need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs, so we measure on site before quoting anything.
Outside the older village homes, Shelby County also has split-level homes, ranch-style homes, duplexes and townhouses. A split-level has short flights between levels, and each flight can be its own straight lift or one curved rail can link them, depending on how the stairs line up.
Ranch homes keep most living space on one floor, but the steps that remain still matter. Townhouses and duplexes often have tighter stairwells, so rail placement and a folding seat that clears the walkway become the main questions. In Sidney, 32.2% of households are people living alone, which makes a lift that someone can run safely by themselves especially worth getting right.
The county covers 411 square miles of low rolling hills, mostly farmland, and 57% of residents live in rural areas. On a farm property or an older village home, the trouble spot is often the porch or entry steps, not the inside stairs.
An outdoor stair lift is built for weather and can handle the steps up to a porch or side door. Where a wheelchair user needs to get from yard level to the door, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. We look at the full path from the driveway to the bed before recommending one.
The Shelby County Veterans Service Commission is based in the 1877 Monumental Building in downtown Sidney, at 133 S. Ohio Ave., and its services are free of charge.
The commission can help with VA claims and with emergency financial relief. It is a good first stop before applying for a VA housing grant, since staff can help sort out which grant a veteran may qualify for.
The two Ohio Medicaid waivers are the clearest routes, since stair lifts fall under their home modification service. PASSPORT serves people age 60 and up, and the Ohio Home Care Waiver commonly serves Medicaid recipients under 60. Both raise the home modification cap from $10,000 to $15,000 per person, per calendar year, effective March 1, 2026.
Local repair programs, including the City of Sidney and Shelby County CHIP program and Habitat for Humanity, fund home repairs but do not list stair lifts among their covered work. It is still worth asking. Veterans have separate VA options, though one of them, HISA, specifically excludes stair glides. Each program is listed below with its phone number.
A statewide Medicaid waiver for Ohioans 60 and older who are Medicaid eligible and need a nursing-facility level of care but live at home; stair lifts fall under its home modification service, capped at $15,000 per person per calendar year starting March 1, 2026. Shelby County is served through Area Agency on Aging PSA 2; call (855) 926-0994.
The companion Medicaid waiver for recipients, commonly under age 60, who meet an intermediate-care or nursing-facility level of care and choose to stay home; stair lifts fall under its home modification service with the same $15,000 annual cap effective March 1, 2026. Call (888) 438-8603.
An Older Americans Act home repair service for people 60 and older in a nine-county region that includes Shelby County, starting with a free in-home assessment; the source does not list stair lifts or a dollar cap. Call (937) 223-4357.
No-cost repair grants and forgivable no-interest rehab loans for income-eligible homeowners, with an income limit of $50,900 for one person and $58,200 for two; ADA modifications listed include handrails, grab bars and walk-in showers, but stair lifts are not listed. Call (567) 331-2679.
Grant-funded repairs at no cost for homeowners in Miami or Shelby County for at least 12 months with income below 80% of area median; listed work includes ramp installation and shower installation, while stair lifts are not listed. Call (937) 332-3763.
Free help for Shelby County veterans and their families, including VA claim assistance and emergency financial relief decided case by case; home modification and stair lift funding are not listed. Call (937) 498-7282 or visit 133 S. Ohio Ave., Sidney.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026) to adapt a home for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, plus up to $50,961 for a temporary adaptation at a family member's home; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (800) 827-1000.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of both hands or severe burns, plus up to $9,100 for a temporary adaptation; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (800) 827-1000.
A lifetime VA benefit of up to $6,800 for service-connected cases or up to $2,000 for other eligible veterans, covering items like ramps and roll-in showers. It explicitly excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift.
Older adults
40 W. Second Street, Suite 400, Dayton, 45402
Veterans
133 S Ohio Ave, Sidney, 45365
It can through a waiver. PASSPORT, for people 60 and older, and the Ohio Home Care Waiver both include a home modification service that stair lifts fall under, with a cap of $15,000 per person per calendar year starting March 1, 2026. You must be Medicaid eligible and meet a nursing-facility level of care.
Yes. The Ohio Home Care Waiver commonly serves Medicaid recipients under 60 who meet an intermediate-care or nursing-facility level of care. Call (888) 438-8603 to start.
Stair lifts are not named in its brochure. Its ADA modification examples are handrails, grab bars and walk-in showers. Call (567) 331-2679 to ask whether your project could qualify.
Area Agency on Aging PSA 2 in Dayton serves Shelby County. Its main office is at 40 W. Second Street, Suite 400, and the phone is (937) 341-3000. For home repair inquiries you can also call (937) 223-4357.
No. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides, porch lifts and portable ramps from HISA. The SAH and SHA grants fund broader home adaptations, and the Shelby County Veterans Service Commission at (937) 498-7282 can help you see if you qualify.
Yes. Stairs with a turn or landing usually need a curved rail made to fit that staircase. We measure the stairs in your home first so the rail matches the actual layout.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
