Expert Stairlift Installation in Sandwich, MA

The rail bolts directly into the stair treads — never into the wall. There's no drywall patching, trim removal, or impact on the plaster-and-lath walls common in pre-1900 Sandwich homes. Colonials around Jarvesville and Spring Hill built between 1700 and 1850 share that construction. Even in the Old King's Highway Historic District, where preservation rules apply, the install is non-invasive. If the lift is ever removed, the treads look untouched.

A straight stairlift takes about three hours from arrival to cleanup — typical for the colonials and capes in Sandwich Village, Forestdale, and most of East Sandwich. A curved install takes a full day: the custom rail arrives pre-bent, so the morning is mounting and the afternoon is calibration, testing, and instruction. Outdoor lifts run about four hours. We schedule around Cape weather and shift the day if a nor'easter is forecast.

Yes. Most historic Sandwich homes have staircases 30–36 inches wide, narrower than modern code. Straight stairlifts fit tread widths as narrow as 28 inches. The rail mounts to the treads, not the wall, and the seat folds up when unused, leaving about 18 inches of clearance to walk past. In the classic 1½-story capes around East Sandwich and Jarvesville where the stairs are especially tight, we recommend a perch-seat option that folds even more compactly.

Every lift we install has a DC motor and a 4Ah backup battery built into the chassis. During a nor'easter or winter storm that knocks out power on Route 6A and the coastal neighborhoods, the battery runs the lift for about six hours of continuous use — roughly 20–30 trips. It recharges automatically when grid power returns. For Town Neck and East Sandwich homes near the water, where storm surge can cut power for a day or more, we recommend the extended battery pack.

Yes. The VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant covers up to $6,800 for veterans with a service-connected disability — a one-time, tax-free benefit with no repayment. Non-service-connected veterans can receive up to $2,000. The nearest VA facility for Sandwich veterans is the Hyannis VA Clinic at 233 Stevens Street, Hyannis, part of VA Providence Health Care. Your VA primary care provider writes the medical-necessity statement; we help with submission. The grant covers the full cost of most straight installs in Sandwich.

The MassHealth Frail Elder Waiver (FEW) — a 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid waiver — covers home modifications including stairlifts for Massachusetts residents 60+ who meet nursing-home level-of-care criteria. The goal is keeping the homeowner in their Sandwich home rather than a facility. Coverage isn't automatic: the stairlift must be documented as medically necessary and approved by the waiver's care coordinator. We help assemble that documentation. The local MassHealth office in Hyannis handles Barnstable County cases regularly.

Yes. The Home Modification Loan Program (HMLP) — run statewide through MassAbility (formerly the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, renamed in 2024) — provides low- and no-interest loans for home accessibility work. It's open to Massachusetts residents of any age with a disability, plus seniors 60+ and family members living with them. Loans cover stairlifts, ramps, bathroom retrofits, and doorway widening. There's no income cap on the low-interest tier. We help with the contractor paperwork.

No — Medicare does not cover stairlifts under Part A, Part B, or any Medicare Advantage plan, because it classifies them as home modifications rather than durable medical equipment. The funding routes that do work for Sandwich families are the VA HISA grant (up to $6,800 for service-connected veterans), the MassHealth Frail Elder Waiver for income-qualified seniors 60+, the state HMLP loan program, and in-house financing from $79/month. We walk every family through which option fits at the free in-home assessment.