Derry Township runs 27.4 square miles along the Swatara Creek in southeastern Dauphin County, and the local economy is really one company town plus a hospital system — The Hershey Company's chocolate plant and Hersheypark on one side, Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Children's Hospital on the other. Housing here is mostly low-density suburban, with a notable exception: Harmony at Hershey on East Canal Street, a dedicated independent living, assisted living, and memory care community. For the families I meet who own their own homes and want to stay in them, a stairlift is usually the difference between aging in place and moving to somewhere like Harmony sooner than they'd choose to.
Why a stairlift installed in Derry, PA is planned around the way this specific community lives, not stamped out from a one-size-fits-all template.
Derry Township spans 27.40 square miles in southeastern Dauphin County bordering Lebanon County to the east, with Swatara Creek forming its northwest border and a hot-summer humid continental climate (January average 30.1°F, July 74.8°F).
Source ↗Derry Township's housing stock (9,481 units at a low density of 349.4 per square mile as of 2000) is mostly low-density suburban, but dedicated senior housing is well represented, including Harmony at Hershey (75 E Canal Street), an independent living, assisted living, and memory care community in Hershey.
Source ↗The township's economy is dominated by The Hershey Company's chocolate factory and Hersheypark amusement park, along with Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Children's Hospital; as of 2000 median household income was $52,290 with low 4.7% poverty.
Source ↗Every home is different. Here are six recent installs from Dauphin County. Tap any project to see the full gallery, tech specs, and the story behind it.
From the original Hershey worker homes lining Chocolate Avenue and Trinidad Avenue — built in the early 1900s when Milton Hershey planned the town for his factory employees — to the newer subdivisions in Palmdale and the established ranchers in Hockersville, our crew has measured staircases across every Derry Township neighborhood. Swatara's mid-century homes feature standard straight-run stairs with narrow treads and low ceilings. Waltonville's ranch-style homes have basement stairs that need precise rail placement for tight clearances. The Oakmont area near Wood Road has older split-levels with landing turns that require curved rails. Laurel Woods' newer construction offers wider stairways that simplify installs, while the historic Hershey homes along Cocoa Avenue have steep, narrow stairs original to the 1910s construction.
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Straight vs curved, standard vs heavy-duty, indoor vs outdoor. A read that saves you from buying the wrong model.
What a stairlift really costs, line by line: installation, rail, seat, add-ons, and the price hacks installers won't tell you.
Parts vs labor, how long coverage really lasts, and the exclusions that catch buyers out; questions to ask before you sign.
Compare Our Derry Stairlifts
Select a stairlift on the leftabove to see full specs, pricing, and how it compares to the alternatives.
Stairlift Types
Bestseller · From $2,800
The standard for Derry Township's ranchers and Hockersville capes. Over 70% of the stairlifts we install across Dauphin County are straight rails — fitted in under four hours.
vs Curved: 3x less expensive and installed in one visit. vs Home elevator: 10-15x less cost and no construction. vs Moving bedroom downstairs: Keeps your home exactly as it is.
Custom-Built · From $9,000
Custom-fabricated for the landing turns in Derry Township's older split-levels and two-story Hershey worker homes. When your staircase has a 90-degree turn or a mid-landing, the rail is manufactured for your exact geometry.
vs Straight with landing break: One smooth ride instead of transferring seats. vs Home elevator: Half the cost, no construction permits, no shaft needed. vs Moving: A fraction of what selling and relocating costs.
Weather-Tough · From $4,000
Sealed for central Pennsylvania weather — freeze-thaw cycles, summer humidity, and heavy spring rain. Every outdoor component is UV-stabilized and carries an IP55 weather seal rated for year-round exposure.
vs Standard stairlift outdoors: Won't rust, seize, or void its warranty. vs Exterior ramp: No permits, no concrete work, no lost yard. vs Home entry renovation: Installed in a single day.
600 lb Rated · From $5,050
When comfort and capacity exceed the standard 300 lb limit. The reinforced frame handles up to 600 lbs with a 22-inch padded seat — wider than any standard model.
vs Standard stairlift: Extra capacity and wider seat for maximum comfort. vs Custom furniture lift: A fraction of the price with faster install. vs Home elevator: Much lower cost with the same weight confidence.
When you call All American Stairlifts, you'll speak directly with a licensed installer who lives and works in Dauphin, PA.
Derry Stairlift Specialist · 15+ years of experience
(800) 965-0350 [email protected]Proven local experience. Licensed. Insured. No surprises.
The kinds of staircases and installs we see across Derry's older and newer homes alike. Drag to scroll, or use the arrows and dots below.
We live in one of the original Hershey worker homes on Trinidad Avenue — built around 1910 with narrow oak stairs and a tight turn at the top. I was worried a stairlift would block the hallway. The crew measured everything, installed a swivel seat at the top, and the folded chair barely sticks out past the banister. My husband uses it every day now.
I served at Fort Indiantown Gap and the Lebanon VA wrote my HISA prescription in two visits. All American prefilled the paperwork and the grant covered $6,800. The whole process from first call to riding the lift was five weeks. No runaround, no forms I had to figure out myself.
Our 1960s split-level has the classic landing turn that two other companies said required two separate lifts. All American scanned the whole run and built one curved rail. My father rides from the entry to the bedrooms without stopping. Four months in, zero problems.
Mom enrolled in Community HealthChoices through her service coordinator and the CHC waiver covered the full stairlift. All American handled the install two weeks after the authorization came through. She sleeps upstairs again for the first time since her knee replacement at Hershey Medical Center.
Dad needed the outdoor lift before Thanksgiving. The front porch steps got icy every winter and he had already slipped twice. I called Tuesday, they measured Wednesday, and installed Friday. The lift handles snow, ice, and the freeze-thaw cycles without any issues. He uses it every single day.
I use a power wheelchair full-time and a seated stairlift was not an option. All American installed an inclined platform lift with yellow safety edges along my indoor stairs. The HISA grant and Community HealthChoices covered nearly everything. I roll onto the platform and ride between floors without leaving my chair.
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Straight Stairlift, Standard Use
Estimated: $3,150 – $6,150
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Compare your options honestly. A stairlift is the only choice that keeps you in the home you love, at a fraction of every alternative.
| Your option | Upfront cost | 10-year total |
|---|---|---|
| Stairlift Installation Best value Professional install by All American Stairlifts, Derry PA | $3,150 – $16,800 One-time | $3,150 – $16,800 Lifetime use |
| Moving to a single-story home Selling, buying, closing, moving costs in the Dauphin market | $50,000+ Plus relocation stress | $50,000+ Loss of community ties |
| Assisted living facility Dauphin County average, private room | $4,500/mo Recurring | $540,000 And rising annually |
| In-home caregiver (8 hrs/day) Licensed home health aide, Florida market rates | $6,000/mo Recurring | $730,000+ Before wage increases |
| Home elevator installation Requires shaft construction, permits, months of work | $25,000 to $50,000 Plus renovation | $28,000 to $55,000 Includes maintenance |
Sources: AARP Cost of Care Survey 2025, Genworth Cost of Care Study, and Pennsylvania Department of Elder Affairs. Figures reflect Derry metro averages.
Most Derry homeowners qualify for at least one of these programs. We help you apply at no cost.
Up to $6,800 for service-connected veterans and their surviving spouses. One-time, tax-free, no repayment.
Eligibility: Veterans & surviving spousesHome & Community-Based Services Waiver may cover up to 100% of installation for income-qualified residents.
Eligibility: Medicaid + medical needWith a doctor's letter of medical necessity, the full cost is deductible on Schedule A as a qualified medical expense.
Eligibility: Taxpayers who itemize0% and low-APR plans through our lending partners. Soft credit pull, instant approval, no prepayment penalty.
Eligibility: All homeownersNot sure which applies? Our local specialist will walk you through every program you might qualify for during your free home assessment. Get started here →
Straight answers about cost, installation, and funding, no sales fluff. Browse by topic or call us if you have a question that isn't here.
Straight staircases cost less than curved ones, and most of what I see in Derry Township's low-density housing is a straight or lightly turned run rather than the tight, multi-turn staircases you get in older, denser towns. Before assuming it's out of reach, look at the PA Assistive Technology Foundation — a Mini-Loan of $100 to $7,000 at 0% interest, or a Low-Interest Loan up to $60,000 total at 3.75%, with no income limit attached.
One-time purchase and install for a purchased unit. With homeownership around 63.3% in Derry Township, plenty of families here are staying put long-term and treat the lift as a permanent fixture — though a rental option exists too, which comes up more with folks recovering short-term at Hershey Medical Center before heading back to a place like Harmony at Hershey or their own home.
A straight rail can usually be measured, ordered, and installed within about a week, sometimes faster if it's a standard run — which matches most of what I see in this township's suburban housing. Curved rails take longer because each one is custom-built for that exact staircase. Either way, calling before discharge, not the day of, is what keeps this from turning into a scramble.
No. The rail bolts into the treads of the stairs, not the drywall, so there's no structural work and no patching afterward. That matters in a township where a good share of the housing is standard suburban construction going back to before 2000 — nothing about the install requires touching load-bearing anything.
Yes, through the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver, which covers home adaptations and accessibility modifications including stairlifts. There's no flat published cap — the CHC managed care organization authorizes it case-by-case based on your assessed need and service plan. Start with the PA Independent Enrollment Broker at 1-877-550-4227.
Look at the state-funded OPTIONS Program through the PA Department of Aging, administered locally by the Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging at 717-780-6130. It's lottery-funded, not Medicaid, and home modifications are offered as a supplemental service — availability and any sliding-scale cost depend on the county, so calling ahead matters. The AAA is also your entry point if you're not sure which program fits; they route people into OPTIONS or the CHC waiver depending on what you qualify for.
A few worth knowing about locally. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Harrisburg runs a Critical Home Repair Program that explicitly includes stair lifts among its interior repairs, with cost shared between sponsor donations and income-based homeowner payments — call 717-545-7299. Veterans with a service-connected disability should look at VA Specially Adapted Housing grants, up to $126,526 for FY2026, or Special Home Adaptation grants up to $25,350. And the Center for Independent Living of Central PA (717-731-1900) can coordinate a home barrier evaluation if you're not sure where to start.
Derry Stairlift Specialist · 15+ yrs
A lot of my Derry Township calls trace back to Hershey Medical Center — someone's discharged after a hip or knee procedure and needs the stairs handled before they can go home safely. The housing stock out here is spread out and low-density, built more for single-family living than the row-house layouts I see closer to the city, so I'm usually working with a straight run or a gentle turn rather than anything tight. I tell people the same thing every time: get the measurement done before discharge day, not after, because a rushed install is never as clean as one that's planned.
Derry Township homeowners and Dauphin County veterans have counted on us for years. Whether you live in a historic Hershey worker home on Chocolate Avenue or a newer build in Palmdale, the first step is always the same: a free in-home assessment with a written quote.
Call today or submit the form above. We schedule within 24 hours and install the same week for straight-rail jobs.
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Most stairlifts are installed in a single day by our licensed Derry team. Clean, quiet, ready to ride the same afternoon.
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