Wood County grew up around two paper-mill river cities, Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield. Their older neighborhoods date to the 19th and early 20th century lumber and paper-milling boom, and many of those multi-story frame homes still have their original interior staircases. Those stairs are the ones we get asked about most.
Outside the two cities, the county spreads across 13 towns and a lot of open ground, from Nekoosa and Port Edwards along the Wisconsin River to farm settlements like Pittsville, Auburndale, Milladore and Arpin. The homes vary just as much: older farmhouses, duplexes, small multifamily buildings, mobile homes and newer single-story houses. This page walks through what that means for a stair lift and how people here pay for one.
A multi-story frame home from the milling boom usually means a long flight to the bedrooms and bath. If that staircase runs in one straight line, a straight stair lift is the simplest fit and mounts to the treads, not the wall.
Older staircases often turn at a landing or wind near the top. In that case a curved stair lift is built to follow the exact shape of your stairs. We measure on site before anything is ordered, because original woodwork rarely matches a standard layout.
The northern part of the county is clay-soil cropland with dairy, corn, soybeans and hay, and the southern and central Central Plain is flat and marshy cranberry country. Farmhouses in these areas tend to be older, with steep or narrow stairs to the second floor and sometimes a basement stair to laundry.
Around Wisconsin Rapids and Nekoosa, the Wisconsin River creates sand-flat and island terrain. For homes where the problem is getting in the door rather than going upstairs, an outdoor stair lift on porch steps or a platform lift for a wheelchair can be the better answer.
Duplexes and small multifamily buildings often have a shared or exterior stair up to the second unit. A lift on that stair needs the building owner on board, so it helps to start that conversation early.
Mobile homes and single-story houses usually have no indoor stairs, but the entry steps can still be a daily obstacle. An outdoor lift or a platform lift is the typical fix there.
About 21.6% of Wood County residents are 65 or older, and Wisconsin Rapids reports 22.3% as of the 2020 census. In 2020, 71.6% of the county's housing units were owner-occupied, which means many older residents own the home they would like to stay in.
If that includes someone in your family, read the VA program note below before counting on VA money for a stair lift.
Two Wisconsin Medicaid programs, IRIS and Family Care, list stair lifts as a covered home modification for people who meet nursing-facility level of care. Both start with the local Aging and Disability Resource Center, and the Wood County ADRC is at 111 W. Jackson St. in Wisconsin Rapids, (715) 421-8900.
If Medicaid is not a fit, WisLoan offers loans from $500 up to $80,000 with no income requirement. Rural homeowners outside the Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield city limits may also look at USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, though that program does not mention stair lifts by name. Each program is summarized below.
A self-directed Medicaid long-term care program that lists stair lifts among covered home modifications, paid from each participant's individual budget with no published dollar cap. Enrollment goes through the local ADRC; IRIS can be reached at (888) 515-4747.
Medicaid managed long-term care for people 65+, or 18-64 with a physical, developmental or intellectual disability, who need nursing-facility level of care; home modifications including stair lifts are authorized through the member's care plan. Enroll through the local ADRC or call (800) 362-3002.
A low-interest loan for Wisconsin residents 18+ with a disability, with loans from $500 up to $80,000, and stair lifts are among the items it finances. There is no income requirement, and a parent, spouse, guardian or caregiver may apply on the person's behalf.
Not a cash grant; it offers options counseling, benefits screening and referrals to IRIS, Family Care and home-repair resources for adults 60+ and adults with disabilities in Wood County. Its listed materials do not mention stair lifts specifically; call (888) 486-9545.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest, and grants up to $10,000 lifetime for homeowners 62+ who cannot repay a loan, for owner-occupied homes in eligible rural areas. The program does not mention stair lifts; grants target health and safety hazards.
A VA grant for medically necessary home alterations, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status, but it explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The Wood County Veterans Service Office at (715) 421-8420 can explain other VA options.
Older adults
111 W. Jackson St., Wisconsin Rapids, 54494
Veterans
400 Market Street, 1st Floor, Wisconsin Rapids, 54495
Yes, possibly. Family Care covers adults 18-64 with a physical, developmental or intellectual disability who meet nursing-facility level of care, and WisLoan is open to Wisconsin residents 18+ with a disability. The ADRC also serves adults with disabilities, not only people 60 and older.
Not through the HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Call the Wood County Veterans Service Office at (715) 421-8420, 400 Market Street, 1st Floor in Wisconsin Rapids, to ask about other VA benefits.
Both programs enroll through the ADRC. The Wood County ADRC is at 111 W. Jackson St., Wisconsin Rapids, and the phone is (715) 421-8900. A Long-Term Care Functional Screen will check whether the person needs nursing-facility level of care.
It may open up USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, since much of Wood County outside Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield city limits is an eligible rural area. The program does not list stair lifts, so confirm with USDA whether your project qualifies.
No. WisLoan does not require applicants to exhaust other personal or public funding first, and it has no income requirement.
Usually, yes. A staircase with a turn or landing calls for a curved stair lift built to the shape of your stairs, so we measure on site before ordering.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
