HI, MRS. SUN SPOTS. We appreciate the aid you’ve offered your readers when it comes to navigating the Affordable Care Act and would like to offer some help as well.

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center is pleased to let your readers know that on Thursday, Dec. 5, we will be hosting a free seminar on the Affordable Care Act and what it means for residents of the Lewiston-Auburn region.

The experts at this seminar will be Mary Schneckenburger from Consumers for Affordable Health Care and Jacob Grindle from Western Maine Community Action.

Mary will be providing an overview of the law and its implementation. Jacob will be discussing the role of navigators and how they can help individuals make the right insurance coverage choices for themselves and their families.

After their brief presentations, they will respond to questions from the audience. Light refreshments will be available. The event is free, starts at 6:30 p.m. and will take place in the Lepage Conference Room at 99 Campus Ave. in Lewiston.

Keep up the good work! — Russ Donahue, director of marketing, St. Mary’s Health System, www.stmarysmaine.com

DEAR SUN SPOTS: There are a lot of scams out there that readers may not know about, one of which is a Medicare scam with a Massachusetts phone number.

My call was from a fast-talking woman with a slight accent. She had my name and address correct and knew that I had direct deposit. She asked me to verify my account number and started rattling off numbers.

When I said I would not verify the numbers, she quickly told me to get out my checkbook and she would read the numbers again. She said I would not receive my check if I didn’t verify the numbers. I said I would not verify anything with her and hung up. She called back two more times!

I called the State Police (they cover my town). They didn’t show much interest, just said there were a lot of scams out there and not to give out information over the phone.

I do think we should be more informed about these types of scams. My daughter googled the phone number (which I did not know you could do), and it came up as a Medicare scam!

I’m sure there are a lot of us “seniors” that will think this is an official call. Please again remind readers not to give out any personal information over the phone. Medicare or Social Security will not call you for this information; they will do it by mail. — Mary DeCristofaro, [email protected]

ANSWER: Thank you for writing. Readers can never get too many warnings about scams. The proliferation of technology means that scammers often know more about you than you would expect them, too, — as in Mary’s case — and might lead you to believe they are legitimate. Never give out numbers to someone on the phone — unless you placed the call.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I would like to publicly give thanks to the Arbor House for its hospitality to my family while my father was ill. The Arbor House allowed my family to be close to my father during his final days without the added stress of an additional financial burden.

I was surprised to hear that the Arbor House is run by donations only. I wanted to help make the public aware of what a wonderful service the Arbor House offers and encourage those who are looking for an organization to support to please consider donating to the Arbor House.

You never know when a loved one will be ill and having a place so close to the hospital for family to stay is priceless. Thank you, Arbor House. — Tim Roy and family, Greene

ANSWER: Sun Spots found the following information at cmmc.org/cancer-care-arbor-house:

“Arbor House is a hospitality house near CMMC that was created for patients traveling a long distance for treatments and for families coming to visit loved ones who are hospitalized.

“The 15-bedroom building has a common room, a fully equipped kitchen, dining room, library, laundry facilities, a patio and garden.

“Arbor House is free for its visitors and is supported through community donations.”

For more information call CMMC’s Guest Relations Office at 207-795-2398.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to [email protected].