In Wenatchee, Cashmere and Leavenworth, a lot of older orchard-town houses sit on sloped or terraced lots. Many have a raised entry or a split-level layout, so there is a stairway between the front door and the kitchen, bedrooms and bath.
That stairway is often what pushes a family to talk about moving. A stair lift can keep it in use instead. This page walks through how Chelan County homes and terrain affect the type of lift you would need, and which programs may help with the cost.
The most common setup we see in this region is a short flight of stairs right inside a raised entry, or the half flights of a split-level home. A straight stair lift fits a single flight with no turns, and it is usually the simplest and quickest install.
If the stairs turn at a landing, or you need to get from the entry up one half flight and then another, a curved rail is built to follow that exact path. Curved lifts take longer because the rail is made to measure for your stairs.
Some split-level homes only need a lift on one flight, such as the one leading to the bedrooms. Walking the house together first tells you which stairs matter most for daily life.
Not every household here lives in a detached house. Chelan County also has townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, and about 57.5 percent of residents are homeowners.
Townhouses often have a straight, narrow interior stair, which usually suits a straight lift. In a walk-up or low-rise building, the stairs may be a shared space, so the building owner or association typically has to approve any installation before work starts.
Wenatchee sits at 715 feet where the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers meet, ringed by the Wenatchee Mountains. That hilly ground means many homes have exterior steps from the driveway or yard up to the door.
An outdoor stair lift uses weather-resistant parts made for exposed steps. The area's semi-arid climate, with about 9 inches of annual precipitation, is easier on outdoor equipment than wetter places. For a wheelchair user, a platform lift can be a better fit than a seat on a rail.
Chelan County covers about 2,994 square miles of the Cascade Range and its foothills, the third-largest county in Washington by area. Roughly a third of residents live in rural areas, and people in places like Manson, Entiat or Chelan can face long drives to medical appointments and contractors.
With 19.6 percent of the county's 53,258 residents aged 65 or older, many families are working out how a parent can stay put. Fixing the stairs at home is often more practical than relocating away from a property someone has lived on for decades.
Several public programs pay for home modifications, though none of the sources we checked names stair lifts specifically. That means you will need to ask the program directly if a stair lift counts under its rules before you buy.
Older adults on Medicaid can start with Aging & Adult Care of Central Washington at (509) 886-0700 about COPES. Workers who paid into WA Cares Fund can ask about its home modifications benefit.
Other statewide options to ask about include Community First Choice (CFC), VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), and the Senior Citizens & People with Disabilities Property Tax Exemption.
A state Medicaid waiver benefit that pays for physical adaptations to a qualifying client's home, handled locally by Aging & Adult Care of Central Washington. Stair lifts are not mentioned on the source page, so call (509) 886-0700 to ask if one can be approved in your care plan.
Washington's public long-term care insurance benefit for workers who paid the payroll premium and meet the need-for-care threshold, with home modifications and home safety evaluations listed as covered supports. Stair lifts are not named, so confirm a stair lift falls under home modifications when you apply.
Federal grants for veterans and service members with qualifying service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own or plan to own, with FY2026 caps of up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA. Stair lifts are not named on the source page; the Chelan County Veterans Service Office at (509) 667-6888 can help you ask whether one qualifies.
Older adults
50 Simon Street SE, Suite A, East Wenatchee, 98802
Veterans
428 Orondo Ave, Wenatchee, 98801
Not always. If you only need to cover one straight half flight, a straight lift works. If the route turns at a landing or links two flights, a curved rail made for your stairs is the usual answer.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are built for exterior steps like the ones on many sloped Chelan County lots. A platform lift is another option if the person uses a wheelchair.
COPES covers physical adaptations to a client's home, but the source page does not mention stair lifts by name. Call Aging & Adult Care of Central Washington at (509) 886-0700 to ask about your care plan.
The Chelan County Veterans Service Office is at 428 Orondo Ave in Wenatchee, phone (509) 667-6888. Staff there can help with VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) and Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grants and other VA benefits.
Possibly, but shared stairs belong to the building, so the owner has to approve the installation first. Get that permission in writing before scheduling anything.
Aging & Adult Care of Central Washington is at 50 Simon Street SE, Suite A, East Wenatchee, 98802. The phone number is (509) 886-0700.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
